Letting agents under scrutiny again: how serious are Citizens Advice findings?

How widespread is rule-breaking by letting agents?

A recent survey from Citizens Advice found that 48% of tenants in England who dealt with a letting agent in the last three years ran into some kind of rule-breaking behaviour, such as:

• Not being given key information about a property, or being given misleading information.

• Failing to return the deposit when no deductions had been requested or agreed.

• Pressuring tenants into taking a property or opting for a zero deposit scheme. Agents can offer a zero deposit scheme alongside a traditional deposit, but may not tell tenants that a zero deposit scheme is the only option.

• Failing to give appropriate notice before attending the property, such as for an inspection or a viewing.

• Charging banned fees.

Renter respondents also reported other bad behaviour that fell short of rule-breaking, like not carrying out repairs. This could become illegal under the government’s plans to extend Awaab’s Law and the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector, but that isn’t expected until 2035.

Time to worry?

How reliable are these numbers? While 48% of tenants reporting non-compliant rental practices is a high number, other measures of industry compliance and satisfaction provide extra context that cast doubt on the severity of the issue.  

A 2025 poll by the National Residential Landlords Association found that 68% of tenants are happy with the service they get from their letting agent.

The Property Ombudsman, which resolves disputes between landlords, tenants and agents, recorded only 3,119 disputes in 2025, of which around 1,800 were brought by tenants.  

For comparison, the latest English Housing Survey estimated 4.7 million privately renting households in England. But regardless of the scale of the problem, getting processes right at key points like marketing, move-in and deposit release can help keep landlords and tenants happy and prevent complaints.