Safeagent, the UK's largest not-for-profit accreditation scheme for lettings and management agents, is urging for stronger enforcement measures. This demand follows accusations that a single firm did not return deposits to over 100 tenants, as reported by BBC News.
The organisation acknowledged the significant workload faced by trading standards officers responsible for upholding housing legislation. However, it highlighted instances where authorities have reportedly passed responsibility between each other when issues of letting agent compliance are raised, potentially leading to no action being taken and consumers being put at risk.
Safeagent's chief executive, Isobel Thomson, stated that the organisation has experienced authorities failing to respond to repeated communications about agents misusing their logo, which can indicate a lack of client money protection or redress scheme membership. The group also questioned whether the number of consumer reports in the recent case should have led to an escalation to the National Trading Standards Letting Agency Team.
One trading standards authority informed Safeagent that substantial budget cuts have reduced its capacity, forcing it to prioritise actions based on specific criteria. This has reportedly shifted their focus towards vulnerable consumers who have been specifically targeted, with misuse of logos alone no longer meeting their threshold for action.