Letting Agents and Landlords to Follow CMA’s Guidance for Customer Protection

If any landlord or letting agent was asked to share their opinions about their tenants, the answer would probably be nothing but a list of complaints. Tenants constantly calling, not paying on time, paying less, being careless about the property, and so on. However, as letting agents or landlords, do you ever ask yourself if you’re doing everything right? Do you respect your customers, providing them with the service they pay for?

The Office of Fair Trading doesn’t seem to believe so, as its report from last year denounced several cases of tenants being treated unfairly. For example, tenants in some cases received late and insufficient repairs or unexpected fees and charges. The Competition and Markets Authority, in collaboration with Trading Standards Services, has released guidance on how the letting industry can apply the existing law about consumer protection.

Here are the top 6 pieces of advice:

• Make sure to specify what fees and charges tenants and landlords have to pay and what they are for
• Try to always use clear adverts and statements and to provide all the information needed, at the right time
• Regarding tenants, ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions of the tenancy agreement, the guarantor and deposit requirements and everything else they need to know before they move in
• Use fair contractual terms and always treat tenants and landlords with a fair and professional manner
• Make sure repairs and other services are done with polite manners, care and ability.
• Do not omit information on how to end a tenancy agreement.

However, these guidelines can be demanding. Indeed, attempting to follow them, while snowed under with other work, can result in a lot of stress. The good news is that whether you are a letting agent, landlord or tenant, you can stop worrying. Sit down and relax because Arthur is here to help. Arthur is the best online property management software that organises everything for you. It allows you to manage your property portfolio from the coffee shop, whilst primarily making it easy for you to respect your tenants. Arthur facilitates communication between all parties, ensures that things run smoothly, and keeps everyone happy.

If you are a property manager, property owner, landlord or letting agent, your business will save time and money by using Arthur. Try out the free Arthur Demo today to see how!