Consumer Rights Bill

Vince Cable MP is the Secretary of State for Business and his department has the Consumer Rights Bill in the House of Lords. Please fill in the form below to write to Vince Cable to ask him to ban letting agent fees to tenants, which ought to be a consumer right.

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Dear Vince Cable, Your department is currently steering the Consumer Rights Bill throught the House of Lords. I would be grateful if you would take this opportunity to give the 4.2 million private sector tenant households in this country respite from the lettings agency scam where they charge tenants fees for work that has already been charged to the landlord. There is an amendment to the Bill already tabled here http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/2014-2015/0052/amend/su052-I-b.htm There are some points that I should bring to your attention. <ol>
<li>It is already illegal for travel agents, recruitment consultants, financial advisers and lawyers to charge both parties in this manner. Tenants deserve the same protection.</li>
<li>If you ban fees to tenants, the fees will be vested in the landlord, who may well add the cost to the rent in a very transparent way. However, in doing so you also vest more consumer power in the landlord over the agent, so there is pressure for agents to reduce their fees or provide a better service to landlords to win their business. This would chase out of business the worst agents.</li>
<li>Tenants do not have a choice of agent. Tenants look for a home and are then confronted with the agent for that property. Tenants have no consumer power to challenge fees in a market place.</li>
<li>This has already been implemented in Scotland with no harmful effect.</li>
</ol>Please could you let me know whether you think it is just for tenants to pay these fees or whether you will ban them. If you will not ban them, I would be grateful if you will let me know if you also intend to allow travel agents, recruitment consultants, financial advisers and lawyers to start charging both parties in a transaction. Many thanks for your kind assistance.

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