From 1st October 2014 all letting agents are required to join one of three government schemes. The new law benefits tenants as they will have a route to escalate complaints if they feel that they have not been satisfactorily dealt with by agents.

The three schemes are:

• Property Redress Scheme
• Property Ombudsman
• Ombudsman Services: Property

Yellx are members of the Property Redress Scheme https://www.theprs.co.uk/

Protection of tenants deposits has been a legal requirement for Landlords and Agents since April 2007. Yellx Property Ventures is a member of both the DPS and MyDeposits schemes and all deposits we take are protected, click link for further information https://yellx.co.uk/page-landlord-deposit-protection-service-20.html

If your Landlord or Agent has not protected your deposit they are breaking the Law and they may be fined, to find out if your deposit is protected visit the scheme websites (see link above)

The Department for Communities and Local Government has launched a 'How to rent' guide. The guide is for tenants and landlords in the private rented sector to help them understand their rights and responsibilities. It provides a checklist and more detailed information on each stage of the process, including:

• what to look out for before renting
• living in a rented home
• what happens at the end of a tenancy
• what to do if things go wrong

Visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent to download your copy