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Rogue agents in the UK property sector have been the bane of the industry for practically as long as it's been in existence. Letting agents in particular have long been bedevilled by dodgy outfits that swindle people out of money and tarnish the entire sector. Now, though, all that is changing, in England at least.

The government is determined to clean up the letting sector, to better protect tenants against unscrupulous landlords and letting agents, restoring integrity to the UK property industry. Just recently, for instance, a letting agent in London was jailed for squirreling away client deposits over a six-year period and to the tune of £15,000.

So what's changing? The government is bringing in law measures to make the Client Money Protection (CMP) scheme mandatory for all landord agents in England that handle clients' money. It's not only agents holding client funds and potentially stashing them away for themselves, either. CMP will also protect landlords and tenants in the event that a letting agent goes bankrupt.

Additionally, the monies passing hands is not just rent paid by tenants, but cash given by landlords to letting agents who manage their properties and carry out maintenance and repairs as part of the service. Many reputable estate and letting agents have voluntarily signed up to CMP, to demonstrate to clients how professional and trustworthy they are - and that cash in an agent's possession (believed to be around £2.6 billion collectively) is safe.

Following a consultation period, however, the government now wants all letting agents to be part of CMP and is amending the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to ensure that happens. Once enshrined in law, the new measure will contain fines for letting agents that do not sign up to CMP. They may also be at risk of being shut down.

The government's review report noted that while it only costs a landlord agent several hundred pounds to be part of the CMP scheme, "...the cost of not having it, to a landlord or tenant, is too great, and too important for the minority of agents without CMP to be allowed to continue to hold client money".

The review said that newcomers in the letting agent sector should not be deterred by the new legal responsibility. They could either act as an introducer or could use a custodial scheme, so they would not have to handle the cash of clients until they were established and had a strong reputation. "Mandatory CMP would deter the rogue, and indeed the amateur, who should not handle other people's rent without security," it said.

John Horton, director of leading London estate and letting agents Horton and Garton, said the government's move was a positive one overall for the UK property industry.

"Horton and Garton were delighted with the recent news that government intends to make Client Money Protection mandatory for all lettings agents. As members of the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA) we already have these measures in place and welcome the industry-wide change which will provide consumers with more protection and raise the standards amongst agents," he said.

Mr Horton, whose company acts as a landlord agent in London W6 as well as other areas of the capital, pointed out that rents have been increasing in recent years. As a result, he said, the average landlord agent in London and elsewhere handling the funds is having to deal with growing volumes of cash. He said the amount of legislation aimed at landlords has been increasing and they should have the right to expect letting agents to be professional and legally compliant.

"We support the notion that mandatory CMP should the first step on the road to fully regulating lettings agents, in turn driving out the rogue agents and making it easier for landlords to find reputable and safe letting agents," he said.

Renting and renting out properties in England is about to become a whole lot safer, and make the work of a landlord agent all the more reliable.