Almost half of private renters have faced rule-breaking letting agents, warns Citizens Advice
Almost half of private renters faced rule-breaking letting agents
More than two-thirds of private renters were left waiting for more than 24hrs by their letting agent for an emergency repair to be fixed
This substandard service comes at a time of record-high rents - almost a third of private renters had to borrow money to cover rent in the last year
Citizens Advice warns shoddy practices need stamping out if the new Renters’ Rights Act is to deliver - as it calls for better enforcement of rules
Citizens Advice has found almost half of renters (48%) who dealt with a letting agent in the last three years, equal to nearly 4 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.
Leaving tenants out of pocket
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.
Undermining the Renters’ Rights Act
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.
Tom MacInnes, Director of Policy at Citizens Advice, said:
“Private renters are forking out more than ever to put a roof over their heads, and in return they get a rock-bottom service from letting agents.
“Nobody should be left to live in dangerous conditions for days, have to fight for money they’re owed or be charged illegal fees. But our advisers are helping tenants with these kinds of problems regularly.
“The new Renters’ Rights Act is a huge moment for private tenants - a reform Citizens Advice has long campaigned for. But this landmark legislation will only deliver its true potential if the government holds letting agents to account with better regulation and tougher enforcement of the existing rules.”
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Notes to editors:
Letting agents are engaged by landlords to support with things like finding tenants, maintaining the property and resolving in-tenancy issues, or ensuring a smooth move out process
Yonder Data Solutions conducted a survey of 4,017 private renters in England. Within this, three different samples were created to capture different levels of interaction with letting agents. This included people who currently live in a property managed by an agent (unweighted base: 2017), who have lived in a property managed by an agent in the past 3 years (unweighted base: 409), who had moved into their current property through an agent (unweighted base: 2435), who have moved into a property through an agent in the past 3 years (unweighted base: 430) and out of a property in the last 3 years through an agent (unweighted base: 1202). Fieldwork took place between 5th – 20th March 2026.
Almost half of renters (48%) who dealt with a letting agent in the last three years, equal to nearly 4 million people, faced rule-breaking behaviour from an agent. This figure is from the finding that half of tenants (47.87%) who currently live in a property managed by an agent, or have engaged with a letting agent to move into, out of, or while living in a property in the last 3 years, have experienced letting agents breaking the rules. Rule breaking behaviour includes:
Renters not being given important information about the property, like an EPC, or being given incorrect or misleading information about the state of a property
Feeling pressured into taking a property, or taking out a zero deposit scheme
Agents failing to give appropriate notice before they, the landlord, or a tradesperson attends the property, or sending tradespeople who the tenant felt weren’t qualified for the job
Agents failing to return deposit, in full or in part, when no deductions have been 'requested/agreed'. This could be for several reasons - the letting agent failing to return the deposit to the renter when it's been released from a protection scheme, not protecting it in the first place, or routes to challenge a failure to return deposits not being clear to renters. This points to a lack of clarity around complaint and redress routes in the PRS, which letting agents should make clear to renters.
This has been scaled to population level figures based on the English Housing Survey data for numbers of households, and number of people per household, in the PRS, and findings from polling that 72.94% of respondents currently live in a property managed by an agent, or have engaged with a letting agent to move into, out of, or while living in a property in the last 3 years- giving an estimate for the number of renters who have engaged with a letting agent in the last 3 years nationally..
More than two thirds (68%) of private renters have been forced to wait more than 24-hours for a response from their letting agent about an emergency repair, such as a gas leak, unsafe wiring or a broken front door. Respondents were asked to select issues they had experienced in their current home, including emergency disrepair and if they had tried to complain or get in touch with their landlord or letting agent about the issue. Those who had were then asked ‘When you got in contact with them, how long was it until you got a response or acknowledgement about the issue?’. 68% of private renters living in a home managed by a letting agent who experienced and complained about emergency disrepair said they had to wait more than 24 hours for a response or acknowledgement about the issue.
More than a quarter (29%) of those with an emergency or urgent repair did not see their problem solved at all. Respondents who had experienced emergency or urgent disrepair in their current home and had got in touch with their landlord or letting agent about the issue and had their issues acknowledged were asked: ‘Was the issue satisfactorily resolved?’. 29% of renters who currently live in a property managed by an agent said their emergency or urgent disrepair issue was not satisfactorily resolved.
An estimated 4 million (4,299,586) people currently rent their home through letting agents. This is calculated based on findings from polling that 39.77% of respondents said the letting agent was responsible for managing their current property - giving an estimate for the number of renters living in a property managed by an agent nationally. This has been scaled to population level figures based on the English Housing Survey data for numbers of households, and number of people per household, in the PRS.
Zero deposit schemes, or deposit replacement schemes, are alternatives to tenancy deposits, and can be paid as a single payment or an extra amount each time a tenant pays rent. Tenants on these schemes don't get their money back at the end of tenancy, may have extra costs at the end of a tenancy such as to pay for damage to the property, and might have to pay a third party to resolve any disagreements that arise with the landlord.
For those on a zero deposit scheme, half (51%) were wrongly told they needed a deposit to rent their home, which is illegal. Renters who moved into their current property or one in the last 3 years through a letting agent were asked if they used a zero deposit scheme. Those who had were asked ‘Were you told that a zero deposit scheme was needed for you to rent that property?’ 51% responded ‘Yes’.
More than one in four private renters (29%) have cut back or gone without essentials to pay rent in the last year - rising to 38% for single parents. The question ‘In the last 12 months, have you done any of these in order to cover your rent?’ was asked to all survey respondents. Respondents were given a list of actions and asked to tick all that apply.
29% selected they had either ‘Cut back spending on heating, electricity, food or other essentials’ or ‘Gone without heating, hot water, or electricity’. Results were netted to remove double counts.
38% of single parents who were asked this selected either ‘Cut back spending on heating, electricity, food or other essentials’ or ‘Gone without heating, hot water, or electricity’. Results were netted to remove double counts.
Almost a third of private renters (32%) had to borrow money or take out a loan to cover rent in the last year. This equates to 3.5 million people, including 589,166 families with children.
The question ‘In the last 12 months, have you done any of these in order to cover your rent?’ was asked to all survey respondents. Respondents were given a list of actions and asked to tick all that apply. 32% of respondents selected at least one of the following:
Applied for a loan or grant from my local authority
Applied for a loan or grant through the Jobcentre or benefits system (such as a Budgeting Advance or a Budgeting Loan)
Borrowed from friends and family
Used a credit card or an overdraft
Used a loan from a credit union
Used high-cost credit e.g. payday loan, doorstep loan
Population figures calculated using these results and the English Housing Survey data for numbers of households, number of people per household, and number of households with children in the PRS.
More than half (55%) of renters reported having to wait longer than two weeks to have all or some of their deposit returned. Respondents who had used a letting agent when moving out of property in the past 3 years were asked ‘How long after you asked for your deposit back did you have to wait to have all or some of it returned? (If the return of some of your deposit was disputed, for example deductions for damage, 'tell us about the length of time until you received the undisputed portion back)' Response options were:
Less than 2 weeks
More than 2 weeks but within 3 weeks
More than 3 weeks but within 1 month
More than 1 month
I never received any of it back, it was all deducted (for example, for damage to the property)
I never received any of it back, even the amount which was not disrupted
Don't know/can’t remember
The results were netted, showing 55% of respondents to the question had had to wait more than 2 weeks to have all or some of their deposit returned.
Over a quarter (27%) faced extra costs or higher bills as a result of emergency repairs. Renters who had experienced routine, urgent or emergency disrepair in their current home, had got in contact with their letting agent or landlord about the issue and had a response from them were asked ‘What was the impact of the delays to resolving the disrepair issue?’ Respondents were given a list of impacts and asked to tick all that apply. Impacts included:
It has increased my household bills (for example, energy or water)
It has given me extra costs e.g paying to use a laundrette or having to get hot food takeaways
I paid out of my own pocket to fix the issue
27% renters in a property currently managed by a letting agent who had faced emergency disrepair, contacted their letting agent about the issue and had a response from them selected one or more of these options. Results were netted to remove double counts.
Over a third of private renters (43%) cited a detrimental impact to their mental wellbeing after trying to address these repairs. Renters who had experienced routine, urgent or emergency disrepair in their current home, had got in contact with their letting agent or landlord about the issue and had a response from them were asked ‘What was the impact of the delays to resolving the disrepair issue?’ Respondents were given a list of impacts and asked to tick all that apply. Impacts included:
I have felt stressed
I have lost sleep
It has made me feel anxious
It has made me feel depressed/made my depression worse
It has affected my mental health
43% of renters in a property currently managed by a letting agent who had faced emergency disrepair, contacted their letting agent about the issue and had a response from them selected one or more of these options. Results were netted to remove double counts.
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