The "experts" and the names of the organisations will remain unnamed for professional reasons.
Expert 1: Commenting on the current shortage of private rental housing stock and the slow return to positive rent increases:
"No-one could have predicted the unprecedented current demand for rental property"
What? Sorry? We did as did most others. It was quite simple really. High house prices, strict lending criteria, an almost non-existent buy-to-let mortgage product range, high deposits etc. etc. etc. And then we are wondering why more people are trying to rent privately in a market where less investors and buying.
Wait a minute, what did Expert 1 say next?
"This is why it is crucial that all Letting Agents and Landlords become affiliated with a nationally recognised regulatory body"
Who is Expert 1? Of course- the head of one of the regulatory bodies making a completely ridiculous statement - almost indicating he has absolutely no knowledge of the industry whatsoever in a vain attempt to recruit more members.
Expert 2: Commenting on the high number of complaints received about Letting Agents in comparison to Estate Agents:
"The number of complaints against letting agents is on par with the number of complaints against Estate Agents - however there are twice as many Estate Agents showing that proportionally there are more complaints against Letting Agents"
Errrrrr.......There is quite a difference between Letting Agents and Estate Agents: The first major difference is the fact that the Estate Agent's work is done when the buyer turns the key in the front door of the purchased property.
Quite obviously, in the world of Letting, the turning of the Tenant's key in the front door is by far not the end of the job for the Letting Agent.
Does anyone who purchased a property ever complain about an Estate Agent if the boiler stops working and the plumber took 3 days to arrive?
Does anyone who purchased a property ever complain that the Estate Agent charged excessively when the moved out to clean the carpets?
I wont go on but this is another "null" statement. In addition (and again we are not revealing the sources of this nonsense) this "expert" never made it clear in his report the proportion of complaints to Estate Agents who do letting. Were they recorded as complaints against Letting Agents.
The moral is this: Not every expert should be listened to.