The May/June Issue of Landlord & Buy-to-Let Magazine has published a letter in it’s “star letter” column sent in by Simon Davey, director of Ventnor Property Services Ltd. A previous issue carried a piece about renewal fees charged by letting agents and asked for details of any agents in London and the south east who were willing to scrap these fees.

Renewals are the fees charged by agents when the initial six months of an assured shorthold tenancy expire. Instead of letting the tenancy run on with a notice period on either side, many agents force the tenant to sign a new contract and therefore commit them to a fresh six month AST. What many tenants do not realise is that this practice is only used by agents in London and the south east and not only are they, the tenants, usually charged an administration fee, the landlord is also charged a renewal fee, which is usually a percentage of the monthly rental income for the privilege of keeping the existing tenants. This practice is something that bodies like the National Landlords Association is trying to put a stop to.

The published letter pointed out that Ventnor Property Services Ltd are unique in that they have never charged these fees as we believe them to be unfair and un-necessary. We firmly believe in giving a good service to our landlord clients and their tenants. This does not include charging fees for renewals.