Accommodation agencies
What are accommodation agencies?
Accommodation agencies are private businesses
that arrange lettings between the landlord and tenants.
Can they charge for their services?
Yes. Sometimes they will only charge the
landlord but sometimes they charge both the landlord and
tenant.
What are the rules about charging tenants?
Letting agents cannot:
- demand or accept money for putting or agreeing to put your name
and housing requirements on their register
- demand or accept money for supplying or agreeing to supply you
with a list of accommodations
You are advised to look for agencies that
advertise “No fees to tenants”
Other matters to note
You should always ensure the agent you rent from is a member of
an approved association (such as ARLA, NLA, UKALA or RLA) and
subscribes to its code of practice - then you can be confident your
rental will be professionally managed.
You should check that the agency has the permission of the owner
to let their property. If in doubt, ask for proof.
If you rent directly from a landlord, you need to ensure that
you have your landlord’s address and a landline telephone
number.
You also need to ensure that your landlord is accredited. You
can check if your landlord is accredited by contacting the London
Landlord Accreditation Scheme on 020 974 1970 or ask your landlord
to provide you with a copy of their accreditation
certificate.
For more information on landlord accreditation visit the
London Landlords
website.