This week’s Star Letter is awarded to Arron for his comments under the post: Autumn Statement 2016: The industry reacts
Great news on scrapping tenant fees.
It has never sat well with me that an agent of one party is also charging fees to the other, as it must be a conflict of interest and then who is truly the customer of the agent? Since ASTs were introduced in 1997, agents have introduced a raft of new fees and, over the last 10 years, rents have rocketed.
A classic scam is insisting ASTs need to be renewed every six to 12 months and so charging both landlord and tenant again.
Not only do these fees serve as a barrier for renters getting their first home, but they also serve to dissuade them from moving.
The prediction that agents will pass the cost on to landlords has not been shown in Scotland and it will just encourage landlords to shop around.