3 June 2026
Citizens Advice has found almost half of renters (48%) who dealt with a letting agent in the last three years, equal to nearly four million people, faced rule-breaking behaviour.
The charity's latest findings show that among renters with an emergency repair, like a gas leak, unsafe wiring or a broken front door, more than two thirds (68%) were left waiting more than 24 hours by their letting agent. More than a quarter (29%) saw emergency or urgent repairs left totally unresolved.
Concerningly, some letting agents were found engaging in illegal practices. More than half (51%) of renters using a zero deposit scheme (a scheme that lets renters move into a property without paying a traditional five-week cash deposit up front, but which can cost more overall) were misleadingly told they needed to use the scheme to rent their home. While others reported being forced to pay outlawed inventory check-in or check-out fees.
What's more, renters' woes didn't end when they moved out. More than half (55%) reported waiting longer than two weeks to have all or some of their deposit returned.
As well as breaking rules, Citizens Advice found this 'rock-bottom service' from letting agents is leaving private renters out of pocket. More than a quarter (27%) of renters with an emergency repair faced extra costs or higher bills as a result. Tenant health also took a hit, with more than a third of private renters (43%) facing emergency repairs citing a detrimental impact to their mental wellbeing after trying to address these repairs.
All this comes against a backdrop of private renters paying some of the highest rents on record. Citizens Advice found more than one in four of all private renters (29%) cut back or went without essentials in order to pay rent in the last year - rising to 38% for single parents.
Meanwhile, almost a third (32%) had to borrow money or take out a loan to cover rent in the last year. This equates to a staggering 3.5 million people, including over half a million families with children.
In light of these findings, Citizens Advice is calling for tougher regulation of letting agents and better enforcement of existing rules. The charity warns that failure to do so could undermine the progress made by the Renters' Rights Act. This landmark legislation should guard tenants against issues like disrepair, but will only work if both landlords and letting agents are brought into line.
(Source: Citizens Advice)
Read the full story on the Citizens Advice website.
For more information on the laws affecting letting agents, see 'Landlords, letting agents and property management' (the version for Scotland is called 'Letting agents and property management').