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Reaction to Consumer focus report
Friday, February 25, 2011
On Consumer Focus's recommendations for
'reputational regulation' Ian Potter, operations manager of the
Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), said:
"We have
long-campaigned for better regulation in the private rented sector
and have already introduced a licensing scheme for members of ARLA
to help ensure greater consumer protection.
"The key issue is
that in the absence of any government-driven regulation, there will
always be unethical lettings agents and landlords who can operate
outside of the jurisdiction of an organisation such as ARLA. This
is why we advocate that the most important step in renting - or
letting - any property is to thoroughly research local letting
agents and fully understand the market context. It is only by doing
this at the outset of the process that a tenant or landlord can
ensure they are protected.
"Other measures to
protect tenants, such as the consumer feedback tool that Consumer
Focus is proposing, are worth considering. However, renting a
property is not as simple as buying a product; there are many
factors to take into account which can influence whether or not a
tenant has a positive experience, not least the fact that renting a
home is a very different, emotive experience than other major
financial purchases.
"It is also the
complexity of the process which means the focus should be on
improving tenant awareness of the rental process and stamping out
bad practice from the outset, rather than creating mechanisms for
public complaint after a tenancy agreement has been signed."
ENDS
Editor
Notes:
The full report
published by Consumer Focus can be viewed online
here.