Scandal in Scotland! Home of the brave also home of the ripped off tenant
More than £100,000 could be repaid to private tenants who have been charged illegitimate fees by letting agents according to housing charity Shelter Scotland.
In spite of being illegal in Scotland, the housing charity which launched “reclaimyourfees.com” in May this year, a special website designed to help private tenants across the country reclaim charges, revealed that some tenants were made to pay for unlawful services such as duplicate copies of a lease, inventory checks and preparation. As a result, around 870 people have begun proceedings for repayment of their fees.
With concern that some letting agents are ripping tenants off in Scotland with variable fees and significant up-front charges, expert online lettings agent Upad surveyed hundreds of tenants across the UK with a focus on Scotland asking tenants if they felt they were being “ripped off”.
The survey asked tenants across the UK what the most pressing issue was nowadays and discovered that high deposits and getting them returned was one of the biggest factors with a significant proportion of tenants revealing that they were made to pay up to and beyond 12 months deposit.
More specifically, deposit issues were of great concern to Scottish tenants. With this in mind, new schemes have recently been launched which require all Scottish landlords to protect tenants´ deposits. Three government approved schemes – SafeDeposits Scotland, The Letting Protection Service Scotland and MyDeposits Scotland will target those who continue to stain the reputation of the private rented sector and provide a fair, cost effective approach that safeguards tenancy deposits.
As well as deposits, other issues for Scottish tenants included property maintenance and privacy with a number of Scottish respondents highlighted that they would like more concealment away from neighbours. One respondent explained:
“The for rent sign stays up for months on end to let everyone know that you’ve rented out the property – more privacy would be great.”
Meanwhile, an additional concern identified in the survey was the role that lettings agents play. The survey revealed that while 73% of respondents across the UK rented property from a lettings agent, 93% were concerned that they were being charged sky high fees. 79% said that the level of service they received did not reflect the fees they paid with one disheartened respondent explaining that they paid £444.00 for a very slow reference check.
When asked how much they paid to move into their current property excluding rent and deposit, a number of UK based respondents revealed that they paid up to a whopping £5,000 with 78% stating they had to pay an extra fee on top ranging from £100 to £800 while in the deposit stakes some tenants revealed that they had paid up to and beyond 12 months.
James Davis, CEO of online lettings agent Upad comments,
“There is no getting away from the fact that tenants feel ripped off in Scotland – charges are too high and deposits often aren’t returned without issues. There are so many concerns affecting Scottish tenants nowadays it’s hard to put your finger on just one but they’re mostly focused around getting a fair deal. It’s good to see Shelter’s “Reclaim Your Fees” operation in Scotland has helped and that government schemes are being put in place to ensure that lettings agents across the UK aren’t able to exploit tenants and undermine the work of good letting agencies who do play fair.”
With tenant demand increasing in Scotland, tenants looking for a fair deal should look no further than the UK´s market leading online lettings agency, Upad. As one of the UKs largest and fastest growing letting agencies with a new dedicated service in Scotland Upad specialise in helping professional tenants rent properties from landlords directly by allowing landlords to manage their own viewings.
Last year alone, 107,000 tenants asked Upad for help finding a home.
Upad’s tenant-finding services start from just £99 + VAT per property with an even cheaper rate for rooms. For more information please contact Upad, on 0333 240 1220 or visit www.upad.co.uk.