§ 52. Mr. Sorensenasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware of the practice of some landlords and house agents to require from prospective tenants advance deposits of rent, payments for furniture and other financial 79W conditions; if he will make an investigation into these practices; and what action he proposes to take to deal with this matter.
§ Mr. MarplesTo demand a premium or an excessive payment for furniture is already illegal under Section 3 of the Landlord and Tenant (Rent Control) Act, 1949, and my right hon. Friend has not received many representations on this point. Last year he received a number of representations about demands of rent in advance for long periods. He made inquiries and found that most of the cases came from bogus letting agencies. The activities of these bodies have been greatly curtailed by the prosecutions the police undertook, and will be still further restricted by the Accommodation Agencies Act. It is to be hoped that this particular abuse will come to an end with them.
If the hon. Gentleman will send me details of the cases he has in mind, I will look into them.