For properties in England, the Tenant Fess Act 2019 means that in addition to rent, letting
agents can only charge tenants (or anyone acting on the tenant's behalf) the following
permitted payments:
- Holding Deposits (a maximum of 1 week's rent) (See Cooke & Co terms on our website for the rules on withholding any funds from your holding deposit);
- Deposits (a maximum deposit of 5 weeks' rent for annual rent below £50,000, or 6 week's rent for annual rental of £50,000 or over;
- Payments to change a tenancy agreement e.g. change of sharer (capped at £50 or, if higher, any reasonable costs);
- Payments associated with early termination of a tenancy (capped at the landlord's loss or the agent's reasonably incurred costs);
- Utilities, communication services (e.g. telephone, broadband), TV Licence and Council Tax;
- Interest payments for the late payment of rent (up to 3% above Bank of England's annual percentage rate);
- Reasonable costs for replacement of lost or damaged keys or other security devices (both during and outside office hours);
- Contractual damages in the event of the tenant's default of a tenancy agreement; and
- Any other permitted payments under the Tenant Fees Act 2019.
For properties in Wales and Scotland please refer to our website for further information.
NON-HOUSING ACT TENANCIES (AHA) - Please refer to our website for further information.
TENANT PROTECTION
Cooke & Co are members of Client Money Protection Scheme (CMP) - Membership Number: CMP001358;
Cooke & Co are part of The Property Ombudsman redress scheme - Membership Number: T01055