Tenant Fees Bill sets out the Government's approach to banning letting fees

Banning letting fees paid by tenants in the private rented sector and capping tenancy deposits in England is the aim of the Tenant Fees Bill.

The plan is to reduce the costs that tenants can face at the outset, and throughout, a tenancy, and is part of a wider package of measures aimed at rebalancing the relationship between tenants and landlords to deliver a fairer private rented sector.

Tenants will be able to see, at a glance, what a given property will cost them in the advertised rent with no hidden costs. The party that contracts the service – the landlord – will be responsible for paying for the service, which will help to ensure that the fees charged reflect the real economic value of the services provided and sharpen letting agents’ incentive to compete for landlords’ business.

The introduction of the Tenant Fees Bill to Parliament follows pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Bill, which was conducted by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee. To track the Bill’s progress through Parliament, please see https://services.parliament.uk/Bills/2017-19/tenantfees/stages.html