West Yorkshire Trading Standards is part of West Yorkshire Joint Services, a shared service delivering statutory services on behalf of 5 large metropolitan authorities. These authorities are Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale. West Yorkshire spans a huge area and has a population of around 2.3m people.
West Yorkshire Trading Standards has the responsibility for enforcing legislation in relation to The Tenant Fees Act 2019. We aim to improve awareness and compliance within the Property Rental Sector to inform landlords and letting agents of their responsibilities as part of this legislation. We also aim to provide tenants with information about their rights, responsibilities and how to gain redress.
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 applies to letting agents and landlords in England and Wales and was introduced in June 2019 to prohibit certain types of tenant fees making renting fairer and more affordable for tenants.
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 applies to:
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 does not apply to:
Are you a tenant in West Yorkshire?
In June 2019, a law was brought into effect to set out rules on what letting agents and landlords are allowed to charge their tenants.
Tenants are at risk of being caught out by potentially costly fees which are now prohibited under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. Please see the below information about what fees can be charged and what fees are not allowed.
As a tenant you can only be charged the following permitted payments:
Any other payments that are not permitted are called prohibited payments. Here are a few examples:
X Viewing fees, any charge for viewing the property
X Tenancy set up fees, any charge for setting up the tenancy or contracts
X Check out fees, any charge for leaving the property
X Third party fees, any charge for anything that is done by someone other than the landlord or tenant but that the landlord must pay for
X References
X Set-up fees
X Professional cleaning
X Drawing up contracts
X Administration fees including application fees, credit checks and check-out fees
Your property agent must be a member of a redress scheme and a client money protection scheme. Check your property agent’s registration via the NTSEALT Property Agent Checker.
If you have been charged a prohibited fee, or your landlord/agent is not complying with these requirements please contact WYJS via the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08082231133 or report online.
For more information, click here to view the tenant fees general guidance.
If you are a Landlord or Agent, click here
If you are a Student, click here