Letting agents' statutory code of conduct revealed

The regulation of the residential letting agency sector continues apace. The latest development is the publication of a consultation on a code of practice and training requirements for letting agents, as required by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014. The consultation sets out the draft code, which deals with standards of practice that are to apply to everyone engaged in carrying out letting agency work, which includes dealing with landlords, marketing property for let and dealing with tenancy agreements and deposits, as well as standards for dealing with the management of the property during the let, end-of-tenancy matters and handling money. The 2014 Act provides for a First-tier Tribunal to which breaches of the code could be referred if not resolved satisfactorily between the parties.

The consultation runs until 15 November 2015.