Letting agents fees, particularly in London and the South East, typically do not reflect a fair price for the 'management' service they actually provide to private landlords.

Related News: Hutcheon Solicitors Are Asking Landlords To Make Contact Regarding Letting Agency Fees - Click Here

This is the viewpoint shared by numerous landlords who are becoming increasingly at odds with letting agents that charge disproportionate monthly management fees based on a percentage of the rental income. These issues along with the spurious tactic of charging tenancy renewal fees have attracted the attention of consumer advocates such as BBC's Watchdog television programme along with residential landlord representative body, the National Landlords Association (NLA) who have called for the removal of tenancy renewal fees charged by UK letting agents.

As the contractual fairness of some of the fees charged by letting agents are clearly questionable R. James Hutcheon Solicitors, a law firm with expertise in representing individuals under the Unfair Contract terms Act, is asking residential landlords who feel they are being asked to pay unjustified fees by letting agents to contact the company. Hutcheon Solicitors is offering to review landlords contracts with their letting agent to assess whether the landlord is being asked to pay fees that are unfair and unreasonable by their letting agent.

The issue of letting agency fees is not going to simply go away as profit margins are being eroded rapidly due to the combined effects of the credit crunch and base cost increases in utility bills and other everyday costs that impact directly upon the profit margins that a private landlord can achieve.

Private landlords interested in chatting with Hutcheon Solicitors about renewal fee issues and whether fees paid over the last 6 years can be claimed back should contact us by calling our free advice line on 0800 083 0626 or chat online with a Rent Management Service advisor using the live chat button on the top right of this page. Alternatively, landlords can simply complete a contact request form by clicking here.