MP SLAMS LETTING AGENTS “ARBITRARY” FEES – Constituent’s petition presented to House of Commons gets 1,500 signatures
MP HELEN HAYES has slammed “arbitrary” fees charged by letting agents after presenting a 1,500-strong petition to the House of Commons started by one of her Dulwich and West Norwood constituents.
The petition requests requests that the House of Commons urges the Government to consider capping the fees letting agents are permitted to charge
Helen told News From Crystal Palace: “I tabled a petition on behalf of constituents who are campaigning against unfair letting agents fees.
“Between 30-40 per cent of my constituents are renting privately, most commonly on short term tenancies and each time they move they are faced with very high, arbitrary fees from letting agents.
“Residents on low incomes simply can’t afford to pay these costs every year or so, and they are a barrier to saving for those who are seeking to get on the housing ladder.
“The recent Housing and Planning Act does almost nothing to address the plight of those living in the private rented sector, either by providing more secure, longer term forms of tenure, by limiting rent increases, or addressing letting agents’ fees.
“I will continue to campaign for a fairer private rented sector, as well as more genuinely affordable social housing in my constituency.”
Presenting the petitiopn to the House of Commons on behalf of her constituent Alper Muduroglu, who gathered 1,500 signatures online against the very high fees that her constituents have to pay to private letting agents, she said: “This is a huge issue.”
The petition:
“Declares that tenants in the private rented sector in Dulwich and West Norwood have to pay high fees to letting agents;
further that there is no limit to the amount lettings agents can charge;
further that the Government should take action to address the difficulties faced by tenants in the private rented sector, particularly in London; and notes that an online petition on a similar matter has been signed by 1,480 individuals.
The petitioner therefore requests that the House of Commons urges the Government to consider capping the fees that letting agents are permitted to charge.”
