Labour’s move to ban letting agent fees defeated
Inside Housing reported that ‘coalition MPs defeated an amendment to the Consumer Rights Bill last night, to ban letting agent fees, by a majority of 53 votes. The Labour proposal was defeated 281 to 228 with all but three Conservative and Lib Dem MPs voting against it. The government released its own amendment yesterday – letting agents will have to publish all fees charged in comprehensive detail or face fines. The Communities and Local Government department statement about the amendment said it will be added to the bill at a later date. Stella Creasy, Labour MP for Walthamstow, tabled the opposition’s motion and said before the vote: ‘It is a fundamentally anti-competitive corporate practice. We want to do something about it.’
