The Conservative MP for Lewes, Maria Caulfield, secured an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons to discuss the Government’s actions in relation to letting agent fee capping.
Miss Caulfield reported that research from Seaford and Lewes Citizen’s Advice Bureaux which found that letting agent fees can range from £175 to £922 in addition to an average of a six-week rent deposit.
Also participating in the debate was Kevin Hollinrake, co-founder of Hunters Estate Agents and the Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton who added that agents may choose to decline tenancies to prospective tenants with inferior credit histories if fees were scrapped rather than capped.
The Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton, Kevin Hollinrake also contributed to the debate adding that letting agents rely on fees for their income, which would probably be obtained from higher rents or landlord’s costs if such fees were prohibited.
Letting agent fees are attracting increasing political attention as the housing crisis deepens with reports of many letting agents insisting on six month rotating tenancy agreements against the wishes of many landlords or tenants in order to charge additional contract renewal fees.
Although commendable everyone must know that the chances of a private member’s bill becoming law is virtually nil. The Tory MP in question shows that there are some on the Conservative side who are worried about the massive exploitation of renters. It’s just a shame that her party thinks so little of the issue that they didn’t table it as a Conservative Party motion and Labour has not seriously pressed them on it.
Its a shame. if the bill were passed it would make housing less desirable to buy to let.
If they do succeed and I hope they do with something similar to this bill I should be able to buy a house in my 30’s not like it is now where I’ll have to wait until I’m in my 50’s!