A senior Labour politician claims that “unscrupulous” letting agents are hammering tenants with higher-than-usual charges between now and June 1 when the fees ban comes into effect across London.
Earlier this week the Tenants Fees Bill won Royal Assent, meaning it becomes law with an implementation date of June 1.
Now Tom Copley - Labour’s London Assembly housing spokesperson and a long-term critic of agents - says rogues will make the most of the next few months.
“Whilst it is very welcome that with this new Act of Parliament, we will see protections for tenants from these fees and a cap on deposits at five weeks’ rent, there is still a four-month waiting period for the new laws to come in force.
“By implication, we are now in danger of unscrupulous agents and landlords using this period of delay to charge even higher fees than usual. The government has already dragged their feet on this, despite the Chancellor promising in his Autumn Statement back in 2016 that letting fees will be banned as soon as possible.”
Copley says that Londoners in the private rental sector have already been subject to “exorbitant letting fees and deposits with excessive rents adding insult to injury.”
His leader in the capital, London mayor Sadiq Khan, has already gone on record saying he would like to have the powers to control rents - despite having in the past suggested such measures could backfire.
Copley continues: “Private renters deserve much more from the government. As a matter of urgency, Section 21 no fault evictions must be scrapped and open-ended tenancies introduced, with caps on rent rises.
“I welcome the work Sadiq Khan has announced to develop a model of rent control that will work in London. The government should devolve to City Hall the necessary powers for him to implement this.”
Join the conversation
Jump to latest comment and add your reply
Who is this stupid man Copley, o yes I see a labour mp, earning a wage making up rubbish. If he believes what he says Name the Agents, Name the Landlords. Come on man Name and Shame.
Or better still stop making up stories until you can back them up with facts and then IF you can do something about it.
Just accept it. BTL is dead. Move on to better things, I have.
what better things?
Good...I hope they charge really enormous amounts more so that at least for the current lease it will allow landlords and letting agencies the opportunity to make a fair living.
The Government has messed up again. So, legally, landlords and agents will up the prices for the next 4 months to cover the losses they surely face.
I will be doing so. And by as much as I can get. What does the Government thing we will do?
I will react just as any business would when its costs rise.
But of course if you work in Westminster, then increasing costs are positively encouraged.
Of course, during Austerity, when ' we were all Supposed to be in the same boat ' everybody suffered the freeze, APART from M.P's salaries !
We aren't putting fees to tenants up, we are putting our fees to landlords up (from June) to cover losses. Landlords will be putting their rents up to cover the extra expense, meaning that tenants will be losing out. Landlord will looking to recoup the extra costs in the 1st year but I don't know any landlord that reduces rent so tenants will be paying our fees again each year they are there rather than just once up front.
Why do I think I sound like a broken record saying that I wonder!! I think i may have heard 1 or 2 other people mention similar
These idiot MPs know nothing about the real world and they demonstrate it every single day.
Please login to comment