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England

Complaints about letting agents

Your first step should be to raise the issue with your letting agent.

Most letting agents and estate agents have a complaints procedure. Check the agent's website or ask their office. They must tell you about their procedure.

Send them a letter if the letting agent does not have a complaints procedure.

Set your case out clearly in writing. Give details of times and dates.

The letting agent should investigate. They could:

  • ask you questions and for copies of documents

  • inspect your home.

The letting agent should write to tell you the result of their investigation.

Complain to a letting agency redress scheme

All letting agents must be members of a letting agency redress scheme.

These schemes can help you with a range of complaints about a letting agency. 

Check if the agent is accredited

Some agents are members of professional associations or voluntary accreditation schemes. 

They have to meet certain standards to be accredited. You can complain to the scheme if they do not.

The main associations and accreditation schemes are:

A professional association can only deal with your complaint after you have been through the agent's complaints procedure. 

They cannot help if you've started court action to deal with with your complaint.

Write to the relevant association to explain your complaint. Send copies of letters and emails you've had with the agent.

You could take court action if you are not happy with the result. But if you agree an offer or decision about your complaint, you cannot take it further.

Complain to trading standards

Local council trading standards departments can look into complaints about letting agents.

You can report a letting agent to trading standards if the agent is not registered with a letting agent redress scheme or if you think their practices are unfair.

Trading standards could investigate unfair or unlawful charges.

Contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline to complain to trading standards.

Complain to your landlord

You could contact your landlord to complain about their letting agent's poor service. Your landlord may not know about the agent's behaviour.

Your landlord's name and address should be on your tenancy agreement or in other correspondence or documents.

Ask the letting agent for your landlord's details if you do not have them. The letting agent must tell you if you write to them.

If your landlord is a company, the letting agent must tell you the names and addresses of all the directors and the secretary.

Court action

You could make a claim against the letting agent in the small claims court for a dispute about money.

Find out more from Citizens Advice about small claims.


Last updated: 19 July 2022

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