Unfair fees should be scrapped

Unfair letting agent renewal fees should be scrapped, according to the National Landlords Association (NLA) as it welcomed a court order secured by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) against Foxtons. Following a landmark judgment last summer when the High Court ruled that Foxtons commission charges were "severely camouflaged" and represented "a ‘trap' or ‘timebomb' for consumers," (as previously reported in News on the Block) the OFT has been pursuing a court order to protect landlords. Jason Freeman, Legal Director of the OFT's Consumer Group said: "Consumers should not be presented with a surprise bill for services they have not consciously agreed to." David Salusbury, Chairman, NLA, agreed: "Where the letting agent performs no service to the landlord throughout a tenancy, why should they still be able to charge the landlord of their tenant chooses to renew the tenancy?