Trading Standards blitzing students with lettings fee info

Trading Standards in one region of the UK is staging Twitter quizzes aimed at students, and asking about agents’ fees surrounding their tenancies.

Trading Standards South West represents 12 local authority trading standards divisions in the region, where there are collectively over hundreds of thousands of students at key educational locations such as Bristol, Bath, Exeter, Plymouth and Cornwall. 

In a partnership with three specific universities - Exeter, Bristol and Falmouth - the TS team has been running a social media information campaign.

Questions posed yesterday, for example, asked students whether they knew whether they should pay end of tenancy fees and if so, how much they should be?

They were also asked whether credit check and guarantor fees were permitted under the Tenant Fee Ban, and whether they should pay referencing and application fees?

Scores of other tweets in recent days have covered student tenants’ rights in relation to ending tenancies early in the event of Coronavirus lockdowns, the various deposit schemes, and what size deposits can be requested by agents or landlords at the start of tenancies.

Trading Standards South West has also created an online micro-site dedicated to helplines for students at Exeter, Bath and Falmouth, with other students in the region with lettings queries urged to contact Citizens Advice.

Individual students’ unions at south west colleges and universities have also been requested to provide new intakes of students with information and rentals.