A new self-service portal for letting agents has been launched by Flatfair.

The deposit alternative specialist’s sign-up portal has been designed specifically to provide agents with access to training which, the company claims, enables agents to be up and running in under an hour.

The chief executive of flatfair, Gary Wright, said: “What quickly became clear after the recent Budget was that affordability is going to be an on-going issue in the PRS.

“There was nothing in the fiscal statement to improve the shortage of supply of rented homes. Even though landlords escaped the expected rise in CGT, they were hit by the increased stamp duty on buy-to-let properties.

“The net result of all the measures contained in the Budget, as far as I can see, is that landlords and tenants will carry on feeling the squeeze into 2025 and beyond.

“Rising rents have meant that traditional deposits have gone up significantly for tenants and have had a major impact on the cost of moving.”

Wright, who claims that tenants can save around £1,200 by choosing No Deposit, continued: “There are fears over the Renters’ Rights Bill which is likely to become law in the Spring. These are times of change for the PRS and we want to encourage more landlords to benefit from the comfort of knowing they have double the protection against tenant damage or missed rental payments.”

“We’re at a stage now where every penny counts for landlords and tenants alike. Agents deal with both sides and so it made sense to design a ‘self-service’ system that was quick and streamlined to suit their needs,” he added.