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Javid launches another consultation on letting agents
Sajid Javid has announced another consultation on dealing with unfair practices by management and letting agents.
The secretary of state for communities and local government called for evidence on the need for a “regulatory overhaul of the sector” as well as measures to reduce “unfair costs and overpriced service charges” and “ways to place more power in the hands of consumers”.
The government already announced a consultation on banning letting fees in April this year, a measure which was also included in last year’s Autumn Statement as well as the recent Queen’s Speech. It also announced a consultation on unfair uses of leasehold this summer.
Additional areas to be covered in this fresh consultation include whether an independent regulatory body is needed, whether leaseholders should have a greater say in the appointments of agents and what qualifications agents need to be able to practise.
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Some of the areas mentioned by the government when announcing the consultation, however, had already been included in one of the two previous consultations.
The government said in July that it would tackle service charges to leaseholders and in April that it would deal with unfair repairs charges to tenants and transparency issues on all charges, but both were cited as part of the government’s rationale for the new consultation.
Mr Javid said: “This is supposed to be the age of the empowered consumer – yet in property management, we’re still living in the past.
“Today we are showing our determination to give power back to consumers so they have the service they expect and deserve, as part of my drive to deliver transparency and fairness for the growing number of renters and leaseholders.”
