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  • Rent increase after Fee Ban? No thank you

Rent increase after Fee Ban? No thank you

17 Dec 2019

The Fee Ban was a well-needed piece of legislation as it stopped agents from abusing the power they have over the tenants.

Many agencies were charging tenants for referencing, for inventories, for viewings, when actually the landlords were supposed to pay for that service. It resulted in hefty application fees, sometimes so high that it prevented tenants from moving home.

Unfortunately, the Fee Ban has impacted the rent negatively, as many agents tried recouping their losses via increased rents, in a move to transfer the cost of the bill to the tenants, as explained in this article.

At Rent Happily, we haven't raised a single rent due to the Fee Ban, because we have never changed fees to tenants in the first place, even when it was still lawful to do so.

Also, we have always encouraged long term tenancies, and not charging application fees has been instrumental in allowing free movement of tenants if they wish to do so, which is one of the key premises of the rental market. And our results speak for themselves, our retention level being twice as long as the market average.

Actually, we see the Fee Ban as an opportunity for agencies to become more efficient, to charge only what is necessary, when necessary, and to favour longer tenancies.




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  • I have been a tenant with Rent Happily for five years; they have always been quick efficient and pleased to affect any necessary repairs or help whenever needed. An extremely professional and understanding team, they are friendly and easy to communicate with.

    Naomi F. Happy Tenant
  • I have had a tenancy with Rent Happily since 2014. The team is accessible and responsive, always in a timely and professional way. The property has been maintained to a high standard and requests for repairs are dealt with promptly. This is a perfect example of how private tenancies can work well. Thank you Rent Happily.

    Patricia R. Happy Tenant
  • Thanks for your wonderful job you are doing over there!

    Atinsola B. Happy Landlord
  • This is our first let with Rent Happily. We have used numerous letting agents in the past and we are amazed by how much better in every department this agency is. The level of organisation and efficiency is fantastic. They really know their stuff and are on top of all the legal, financial and practical details. Their systems work and they are responsive to concerns and queries. The tenant selection process is based on finding a good fit for the landlord, the tenant and the property. The commitment to treating both tenant and landlord fairly is something we far prefer given the lack of ethical standard commonly seen in this business. This approach really takes the stress out of letting out a property. These are qualities we did never expected to find in this business and so we feel very lucky to have found Rent Happily.

    Margot Y. Happy Landlord
  • After nearly three happy years renting this house, I now have to leave. I'm so thankful for this time living at the house; absolutely everything has been positive about this experience. Thanks a lot for everything!

    Damaris M. Happy Tenant
  • Rent Happily has been managing our properties for seven years now. As a team they are fantastic, whether liaising with tenants, keeping up to date with any maintenance when needed, or making sure that we always comply with any new regulations. When we have tenant changeovers, they have been very quick to find new tenants so any void periods have been minimal. I thoroughly recommend their property management services.

    Caryl and Becky W. Happy Landlords