"Q That is very helpful. In terms of the bands having clear and unambiguous definitions, particularly around the default fees, are you saying that in the Bill itself and its schedules, there is not enough detail to be able to uphold that?
Alex McKeown: Yes. I have not looked closely at that, but I know that, again, the CAB has written an amendment on the default fees aspect, to try to make that clearer. At the moment it is quite vague. That does need to be tightened up...." Maria Caulfield - View Speech
"Q On the issue of enforcement, I have been working closely with my local citizens advice bureau in Lewes, which has done a huge amount of work on this. The current system does not work because it is up to local authorities to enforce it, and tenants often do …..." Maria Caulfield - View Speech
"Q There is, because it will be very clear that these fees will be banned.
David Smith: But they are still reliant on the local authority taking up the cudgels on their behalf, which evidence shows that at the moment they do not do...." Maria Caulfield - View Speech
"Q But do you not recognise that that gives power back to the tenants? They can then question letting agents as to why fees are being charged. Currently they do not have the information to be able to do that.
"Q Do you not welcome the Bill, then, in that it will make it very clear to tenants that there should not be fees being charged in the first place? They can then make that decision for themselves.
"Q Do you not recognise that the Bill would improve that situation?
Richard Lambert: The Bill will make the situation clear for the majority but, again, there will be a minority of tenants who will not be fully aware of their rights, and there will be a minority of …..." Maria Caulfield - View Speech
"Q I just have a quick question on default fees. Will you set out your views on default fees, and why they are necessary? I recognise that there are tenants who often leave properties in a state in which they did not find them. How often, in your experience, …..." Maria Caulfield - View Speech
"So businessmen like you don’t know how often default fees are applied, as it stands.
David Smith: At the moment, quite a lot of agents put default fees into their agreements, but they are very rarely charged. In practice, they are mostly taken out of the tenant’s deposit. In many …..." Maria Caulfield - View Speech