The new Housing Secretary has a track record for criticising letting agency fees and calling for more licensing.
Steve Reed replaced Angela Rayner as Housing Secretary last week.
It comes after Rayner stepped down after she admitted that incorrect advice had meant she underpaid Stamp Duty on a recent property purchase.
She was found to have breached the ministerial code.
Reed was appointed in her place on Friday afternoon and his track record suggests agents can expect much of the same.
Reed, previously leader of Lambeth Council, criticised lettings agency fees in 2013, before the 2019 ban, and has backed calls for licensing in his constituency.
Speaking to Inside Croydon in 2013, Reed said: “This rip-off culture among lettings agencies must end. Labour wants to see tough regulation of lettings agents but the government has voted down Labour’s proposals at every turn.
“Hard-pressed residents in Croydon are having their pockets picked while the government and our Tory council stand back and do nothing.”
He also supported raising the additional rates of Stamp Duty in 2024 after the Autumn Budget .
He backed the Renters’ Rights Bill but did oppose phasing out secure tenancies for life in 2015 and 2016 parliamentary debates, which wasn’t in line with party policy.
Greg Tsuman, managing director for lettings at Martyn Gerrard Estate Agents and former president of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) Propertymark, said the Government must get its housing policy in order – or risk running out of ministers to resign before they manage to fix the housing market.
He added: “Rather than pushing simplistic narratives that demonise landlords for the affordability crisis in the private rented sector, politicians need to get their own house in order and acknowledge their role in creating the pressures driving up rents and reducing supply. With the Renters’ Rights Bill up for discussion on Monday, I think it’s likely that all the amendments made by the House of Lords to inject common sense into the Bill are rejected, leaving legislation that fails to empower tenants and instead forces landlords into defensive pricing, ultimately harming affordability and choice for everyone.
“Let’s not be distracted by political reshuffles – the core issues remain unchanged. Legislative and tax pressures on landlords are rising, not easing, and these added costs inevitably make life harder for tenants. Every new expense in the system gets passed on as higher rents.
“It’s contradictory to blame landlords while simultaneously implementing policies that push rents up. The solution is clear: streamline regulations, lower the tax burden, and promote stability so landlords can offer homes without constantly passing on increasing costs. To make renting fairer and more affordable, we need less political posturing and more practical, effective reform.”
