Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of estate agent renewal fees on the cost of privately rented homes.

The Tenant Fees Act came into force on 1 June 2019 to improve transparency and affordability for renters, by way of banning unfair fees and capping tenancy deposits. Letting agent fees previously charged to tenants, for renewals, 'admin' costs, inventory and credit checks are now banned unless they are specified in an existing tenancy agreement signed before 1 June 2019. These provisions benefit up to 4.4 million private renting households and save them an average of £70 per year.