Letting agent 'was not with regulatory body'

News Category: Legal

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A letting agent that left dozens of landlords out of pocket by hundreds of pounds was not attached to a regulatory body as it had claimed to be.

Riverside Housing's website stated that the company is affiliated with the National Approved Letting Scheme, but a spokeswoman for the programme denied this.

She explained that Riverside Housing ceased to be a member of the National Approved Letting Scheme in 2009.

Speaking to the Essex Echo, she added: "To be a member, you have to have a client money protection scheme. This covers tenants and landlords if members of staff were to be fraudulent with the money."

The letting agent's owner Yvonne Jones filed for bankruptcy recently at Southend County Court.

It is thought that as many as 150 landlords could have lost out on a month's rent, respite their tenants paying the letting agent on time.

Martin & Co director Shaun Cafferty recently warned that letting agents do not have enough available properties to rent out to meet demand, reports the Crewe Chronicle.

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