Communities and Local Government CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by Catherine Walls

Having now reached retirement age, living alone and surviving mainly on a government retirement pension—I find it necessary to live in the private rented housing sector as my situation is not considered critical enough for social housing.

However, I am finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the agent’s fees and charges which seem to be going up and up, and vary from one estate agent to another.

Below, I have copied the exact figures from my latest potential move through the agents known as Fulford’s, who incidentally also expect me to take out contents insurance to a cost of over £20 per month on an UNFURNISHED flat.

Invoiced items

Net

VAT

Gross

Rent due 21/01/13

450.00

0.00

450.00

Security deposit

550.00

0.00

550.00

Agreement fees due

125.00

25.00

150.00

Reference fees due

62.50

12.50

75.00

Inventory check-in

60.00

12.00

72.00

Administration fee

41.67

8.33

50.00

Invoice total £

1,289.17

57.83

1,347.00

I would therefore like to recommend that the government introduce stricter control on the limits to which estate agents can make charges to potential tenants because sure, a sum of £347 purely in estate agent charges to a tenant (not including what they usually charge a landlord of perhaps one month’s rent) is outrageous and totally unwarranted.

I feel a much fairer system would be that all agents are subject to a maximum charge of £100 per new tenant.

January 2013

Prepared 16th July 2013