To help local authorities tackle rogue letting agents, the National Approved Letting Scheme has published the latest version of its effective enforcement toolkit.
Originally published in 2016, the toolkit was created as a unique way to assist local authority enforcement officers in tackling lettings and management firms who fail to comply with the law, particularly around the requirement to display fees and membership of redress and CMP schemes.
It provides councils with a guide to the legalities and requirements of regulating agents, in a step-by-step format designed to help protect tenants and landlords.
The toolkit has been updated and now references over 50 tribunal decisions from across England.
By providing easy access to this wealth of information, it will help enforcement officers correctly interpret the legislation while providing a useful benchmark for assessing the appropriate level of penalties.
The toolkit will be updated again next year following the introduction of mandatory Client Money Protection.
Martin Harland, chair of London Trading Standards’ Letting Agents Group, said: “This is an invaluable resource.
“We’re grateful to NALS for really listening to what we needed and working with us to achieve an excellent resource for Trading Standards officers.
“Working together we can create level and fair conditions for the good, professional agents to thrive while stamping out the criminals.”
Comments (3)
Trading standards are interested in tackling rogue agents, they dont have enough manpower and it is way down their list of priorities. Where i am several estate agents do not display tenant fees in the window or on the website, these companies have been reported to trading standards on multiple occasions and nothing has been done.
Until money is found to beef up departments like trading standards, rogue traders will continue to flout the law and the fear of punishment is minimal
agree, very little appetite to enforce with a penalty, which is needed to deter others….
my local council need to push and shoved to take any action, and then it is informal…ie dont do it again
We must operate in the same area! TSO down here cannot find his way out of his office let alone onto the High Street. He came here once and completely missed 4 agents because “he didn’t go down that road!”
They are going to busy little bunnies next year but not as busy as the courts which will be clogged up with landlords chasing tenants for rent and dilapidations as gov have decided that poor little tenants should take no responsibility for their actions nor pay a decent deposit to protect the landlords!