ARLA has expressed its support for calls to introduce regulation of the letting sector.
Responding to the recent Communities and Local Government Select Committee’s report on the issue, the organisation’s managing director Ian Potter said he “wholeheartedly” welcomes the recommendations made in the publication.
The committee report was compiled by a group of MPs and calls for letting firms to be subject to the same level of regulation as estate agents.
Mr Potter commented: “ARLA has long campaigned for parity with estate agents in terms of regulation, and we are delighted to see that Parliament appears to be coming round to the idea too.”
He claimed it is vital that both landlords and tenants are fully protected and understand their rights.
“We hope the government will listen to these recommendations, and introduce meaningful regulation of the sector as soon as possible,” Mr Potter added.
The ARLA leader also discussed the matter of letting agent fees, which were criticised by the committee report for often being excessively high and hidden from clients. He said the organisation has always encouraged its members to be transparent about their charges and the services associated with them.
Mr Potter claimed this approach is now supported by recent rules imposed by the Advertising Standards Authority, which stipulate that agents must include details of all compulsory fees and charges in their quoted prices. He added letting firms should use plain English in all of their transactions, including tenancy documents.
ARLA is not the only organisation to welcome the committee’s calls for regulation of the sector, as the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has also expressed its support for the findings of the report.
In an official statement, it said: “For too long the letting sector has remained unprofessional, unregulated and not transparent enough.”
RLA policy director Richard Jones claimed 90 per cent of landlords rely on letting agents to manage their properties and more needs to be done to ensure their interests are fully protected.
Article from www.rman.co.uk
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