Letting Agency Fees Force Renters into Debt

Shelter is calling for an end to letting agency fees, as an investigation shows that letting agency fees could be pushing renters into debt.  Shelter carried out mystery shopping with 58 letting agencies across the country and found that all of them charged renters fees to set up a tenancy, on top of deposits and rent in advance.  Average fees charged were almost £350, with almost a third of agencies charging renters more than £400 to set up a tenancy, and a further seven charging more than £700.  These charges are in spite of the fact that letting agencies typically receive separate fees from landlords to set up a new tenancy on their behalf. Read more on the Shelter website.