Good News for Private Renters

For too long, landlords had been able to impose huge unfair charges on renters with little government oversight.

Three years ago, Liberal Democrat Baroness Olly Grender introduced a bill to the House of Lords on renters' rights, to ban letting agents from charging excessive admin fees and protect tenants from rogue landlords.

This bill was left unfinished when the snap election was held in 2017, but the Liberal Democrats have continued to fight for renters' rights.

The Liberal Democrat move led the Government to introduce a new Tenant Fees Bill last year, and we won a number of important amendments to prevent renters being charged unfair fees, to cap tenancy deposits at five weeks' rent and to require more transparency when a deposit isn't returned.

On 1 June, that Act became law, giving renters a fairer deal in the private rental sector and protecting them from unaffordable deposits and extortionate fees.

You can see a briefing from Generation Rent which has been campaigning on this issue.