National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Teams

The two National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Teams protect consumers and businesses by enforcing the Estate Agents Act (1979) and the Tenant Fees Act (2019).

Funded by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG); the estate agency lead enforcement authority is operated from Powys County Council and the letting agency regulation lead enforcement authority (LEA) is hosted by Bristol City Council.

The teams work closely with each other, and with local authorities, who have local enforcement responsibilities for the Tenant Fees Act.

The Powys team, as LEA in the UK for Estate Agents Act, are responsible for:

• overseeing the operation of the Estate Agents Act.
• issuing prohibition and formal warning orders to those found unfit to engage in estate agency work in the UK
• approving & overseeing the UK’s consumer redress schemes, Ombudsmen, and Alternative Dispute Resolution entities in the estate agency sector.
• issuing guidance and advice for the public and enforcement authorities on estate agency work in the UK.

More information on the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team is available on their website

The Bristol team as LEA in England for the Tenant Fees Act, is responsible for:

• overseeing the operation of relevant letting agency legislation.
• issuing financial penalty orders to those agents found to be charging prohibited fees or who do not have the required redress scheme membership or client money protection in place.
• issuing guidance and advice to enforcement authorities on relevant letting agency work in England.
• undertake enforcement, and as a backstop for enforcement, of the Tenant Fees Act in England.

More information on the National Trading Standards Lettings Agency Team is available on their website.