Housing Minister Gavin Barwell says more and more tenants in the PRS are happy with the length of leases offered – with standards improving across the board.

The minister confirmed that the government will consult on the best way to implement plans to ban lettings agent fees paid by tenants this spring, claiming the changes will “improve competition in the private rental market and give renters greater clarity and control over what they will pay.”

He made the comments in response to a written parliamentary question from Julie Elliott MP (Labour, Sunderland Central) who asked what steps DCLG is taking to monitor letting agent fees, lease terms and safety standards in rented properties.

He said the Housing White Paper outlines plans to consult on a range of measures to tackle “unfair and unreasonable abuses of leasehold and consider further reforms through the consultation to improve consumer choice and fairness for leaseholders”.

However, he added: “An increasing number of private tenants are happy with their tenure and standards are improving. We are determined to ensure all sectors of the housing market provide decent homes.”

Blog Post from Residential Landlord Association

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