Briefing: Third Reading of Tenant Fees Bill

Shelter supports the Tenant Fees Bill and the Government’s ongoing commitment to making private renting fairer and more affordable. We are very pleased the Government has held firm on its promise to introduce an outright ban on upfront letting fees, as this will ease the significant financial pressures renters face when moving, whilst making the lettings market more competitive and transparent.

However, without more protections in the Bill, renters are still open to exploitation. The clause on ‘default fees’ specifically creates a backdoor through which unfair fees could still be charged. Some letting agents themselves have admitted the intention to misuse this new category of fees. We’d like to see more protections in the legislation, to guard against this behaviour