Two letting agencies in the London borough of Camden have lost their appeal against fines for failing to join a redress scheme.
Pars Impex Property Limited will now have to pay fines of £5,000 and London Sweet Homes will pay a fine of £2,500.
The penalties were served due to the agents not joining a redress scheme, following on from a letter sent to all agents in the borough advising them of this legal obligation.
This was part of a Camden council crackdown aimed at agents which, in the words of the council “use hidden fees, illegal deposit handling, unsound tenancy agreements, and who aren’t members of a redress scheme.”
“We have been undertaking a borough-wide crackdown on bad letting agents who prey on innocent tenants who have no choice because they are desperate for a home. These agents exploit private tenants through bad practices such as hidden fees, illegal deposit handling, unsound tenancy agreements, and offering no option to their tenants to appeal against bad practice” says a council spokeswoman.
“As part of our commitment to improve private renting, we’ve also just launched landlord licensing for shared housing. Landlords of bedsits, house shares and converted flats must now have a licence to let” she says.
%20-%20IMAGE%20Client%20Accounting%20%E2%80%93%20what%20are%20your%20options.jpg)
Join the conversation
Be the first to comment (please use the comment box below)
Please login to comment