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Response to Resolution Foundation Report on the Private Rented Sector
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Ian Potter, operations manager at ARLA, said:
"It's vital that consumers have full confidence in lettings
agents, and the industry must respond to their concerns about bad
practice. That's why in the absence of regulation, we developed our
own licensing scheme. All licensed ARLA member letting agents must
be covered by a client money protection scheme and hold
professional indemnity insurance - which means consumers are
protected against negligence. They must follow our strict codes of
conduct and have a certain level of training. Ultimately this means
that, should something go wrong, there are protection mechanisms in
place. We would therefore always advise that consumers use an
ARLA-licensed lettings agent.
"Fees will vary from region to region and will depend on the
specific services offered by an agent. However, for landlords and
tenants alike it is important to obtain clear, written information
from an agent about exactly which services their fee includes - and
whether there are likely to be any further costs in the future.
This means that, should a landlord or tenant feel the fees were
unclear, they can lodge a complaint with ARLA or utilise the
Ombudsman Scheme membership, which all ARLA licensed agents are
required to hold."