Fined: Dagenham lettings agent that failed to publish their fees
Atco Estates, of Green Lane, Dagenham has been fined £4,000 after failing to publish the correct fees for tenants and landlords. Picture: GOOGLE - Credit: Archant
A ‘rogue’ letting agent has been fined £4,000 after failing to publish the correct fees for tenants and landlords.
Atco Estates, of Green Lane, Dagenham also failed to provide information about their membership of a scheme meant to safeguard money held on behalf of clients.
Cllr Margaret Mullane, cabinet member for environment and community safety, said: “We won’t allow businesses who do not play by the rules to get away with it.
“We will continue to clamp down on rogue letting agents.
“If you want to be a letting agent in Barking and Dagenham, the message is crystal clear: you must comply with the law.”
Letting agents must display their fees online and in branches so prospective tenants and landlords know what they’re paying when entering into a rental agreement.
The council’s trading standards officers first advised Atco Estates about the rules in January 2017 but fees listed on the agent’s website were inaccurate during a check last May.
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Atco Estates appealed a fine saying that they had displayed fees and couldn’t afford to pay.
But a tribunal found the fees listed on the agent’s website were inaccurate.