Letting Agent Regulation: Is the Public Really Crying Out for More?

When it comes to the private rental sector, there’s a common assumption: the public is desperate for tougher rules and more oversight of letting agents. Politicians repeat it, campaigners claim it, and the media often runs with it.

But perhaps we’ve just been offered a reality check.

Last week, a petition by landlord Wilson Chowdhry calling for greater regulation of letting agents went live on the Parliament website. Its proposals were pretty extensive – a new independent regulator, mandatory licensing, recognised qualifications for agents, transparent fees, and formal conduct standards.

So, what was the public response?

Just 116 signatures at the time of writing.

That’s despite early press coverage, an active social media push, and the fact that it was brought by a landlord who has personally fought and won two separate compensation cases against rogue agents.

This is not to downplay Mr Chowdhry’s experience – he was badly let down, and the compensation awards show he had reason to complain, and that the agent had a case to answer.

But do these awards not also show that we have a process in place already – and that the process works!?

If there were truly overwhelming demand for sweeping new regulation, would not more people have signed this petition?

New Legislation is On the Way

The Renters’ Rights Bill is moving rapidly through Parliament. It promises significant changes to the private rental sector, from scrapping Section 21 to banning fixed term tenancies to rolling out Awab’s Law to the PRS to creating a new Ombudsman for landlords and agents.

But this petition’s sluggish support raises an awkward question: is the government overestimating just how much the public cares about additional regulation? Are the loudest voices in the debate representative of the majority, or just the most active campaigners?

A Reality that Many Forget: The Industry Is Regulated

When you see petitions like this or see news of the Renters Rights Bill, it is easy to imagine that landlords and letting agents operate in some sort of lawless wild west – but that’s simply not the case.

There are checks and balances, laws that we must obey, multiple legal requirements, enforcement bodies, and professional bodies that insist on minimum standards, already in place.

• Property Redress Schemes – Every letting and property management agent in England must belong to an approved redress scheme (e.g., The Property Ombudsman, the Property Redress Scheme, etc.). These schemes investigate complaints, issue rulings and award compensation.
• The Competition and Markets Authority – The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency team was replaced in April by a team under The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) under the DMCC Act. Trading Standards’ role hasn’t vanished entirely, but the CMA has greater power to enforce rules on fees, marketing, and consumer rights, with the power to (massively) fine or prosecute agents who breach the law.
• Environmental Health – Councils can inspect and take action where rental properties are unsafe or fail to meet legal standards.
• EPC Regulations – Rental homes must meet minimum energy efficiency standards, and landlords face penalties if they don’t comply.
• Industry Bodies – While voluntary, memberships with organisations like The Guild of Property Professionals, Propertymark, and the NRLA bring codes of conduct, training requirements, and additional oversight.

These are part of everyday compliance for responsible agents and landlords, and the public can absolutely pursue agents who fall short of legal requirements and safe standards.

The Real Issue: Enforcement

We do believe there is a problem that needs addressing in this country, and that is the lack of enforcement. Rogue operators slip through because the resources to police them are stretched thin. That’s not going to be solved simply by creating more rules; it’s solved by ensuring that the current ones are applied consistently and robustly.

Final Thoughts

Nobody’s arguing against fairness, transparency, or professionalism in lettings; believe me, we all want that. But I wonder if this petition – and its failure to gain support – actually goes to show that sweeping new regulation may not be the top priority for most people.

Instead of assuming the public is crying out for radical change, perhaps we should focus on making the existing protections work as intended.

Yes, it would mean better enforcement, better awareness of tenant and landlord rights, and ensuring that the good agents (who make up the majority) aren’t burdened with unnecessary layers of bureaucracy that do little to solve the real problems.

But you know what – if bad landlords and bad agents knew that enforcers had real teeth, we’d see fewer problems out there. Of that, I have no doubt.