Tenant set up fee?

[philollypop]

I was charged a Tenant Set Up Fee of �250 +VAT, by the rental agent, when I started to rent a house, is this a legal and usual charge? it seems rather a high price to me.

[Twenty20]

If it included your credit check, checking in fees, inventory and all the other things that agents charge for then it's probably ok. I have doubts about whether 'registration fees' on their own are legal though without looking it up (by this I mean when you pay them a fee then they try and find you a property).

If you used a private landlord you most probably wouldn't get any of these fees, or all the other fees that agent's tend to charge such as tenancy renewal fee etc.