Letting Agent Fees Ruled To Be Illegal

News that letting fees charged by agents have been ruled illegal under the Commission on Disposal of Land Order has been welcomed by SDLP MLA, Claire Hanna.

The MLA for South Belfast said: "Agent letting fees have been a major issue in places like South Belfast where there are a large number of tenants renting privately. Many of these tenants have been charged on top of a month's rent in advance, as well as a security deposit, placing too heavy a burden on individuals and families who are often a captive market.

"The SDLP understands the private rented sector are an important part of the housing market, but there must be fairness and transparency in the process to ensure tenants are protected.

"Landlords paying agents to deliver tenancies is part of the routine letting and landlord management process, and not the responsibility of the tenant themselves - these tenant fees effectively allow the agent to be paid twice.

"The amount repayable to tenants in Northern Ireland could amount to many hundreds of thousands of pounds and we will be monitoring developments closely and supporting the organisations campaigning to ensure this practice is stopped.

"The SDLP has long campaigned for regulation of letting agents to make sure that all fees are transparent and clearly stated on websites, promotional material and advertisements.

"As a former private rented sector tenant in the South Belfast myself, and as an MLA dealing with a high volume of housing related cases, I am well aware of the pressure facing tenants, including being asked for additional fees. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank Paul Loughran for taking this case."

(MH/LM)