Just two letting agents sign up to council’s fee-scrapping scheme in its first month

Leading the charge: Cllr Sem Moema (left) talks to a renter in Dalston. Photograph: Hackney Council

Only two estate agents have so far signed up to a Town Hall scheme which asks them to voluntarily scrap letting fees – over a month since it was launched.

Cllr Sem Moema unveiled the scheme in July as part of Hackney Council’s Better Renting campaign, saying at the time that it will “ensure local renters can start to benefit straight away” in the “absence of any real change on the ground”.

Chancellor Philip Hammond announced earlier this year that the government is to impose a full ban on letting fees, and a consultation on the proposal ended in June.

But in a letter dated 20 July, Cllr Moema, who is Mayor Glanville’s advisor on private renting, urged the borough’s estate agents to “get ahead of the competition” and “demonstrate that businesses in Hackney are progressive, forward thinking and willing to work together to change things for the better”.

One agent, Julian Reid, was already signed up for the launch, despite not charging letting fees anyway.

But Moema’s plea for others to follow suit appears to have fallen flat, as only one more agent, Clapton’s Margo & Co, has joined the scheme to date.

When quizzed about the numbers, a council spokesperson said: “Two letting agents are currently signed up: Julian Reid Estate Agents and Margo & Co.

“As explained in the letter from Cllr Sem Moema, we’ll be following up with all letting agents in the borough in the coming months to see how they’ve responded to the voluntary scheme.”

You can read Cllr Moema’s letter to letting agents in full by downloading the PDF here.