The government has said letting agents will face a new obligation to display full details of their fees both on their websites and in their offices. At Deputy PM Nick Clegg's Commons question session, the Lib Dem leader faced calls from Labour's Harriet Harman to back her party's bid to ban agents from charging fees to tenants. He said there were "virtues" in the opposition's push for longer tenancies. But he warned that the fee ban could increase rents in the long run. He said more transparency would help to keep costs down for tenants - an argument that was dismissed by Ms Harman as "not good enough". Labour has put a pitch towards "generation rent" at the centre of its campaign ahead of local and European elections on 22 May. Party leader Ed Miliband vowed to end "excessive" rent rises, said three-year tenancy agreements should become the norm, and pledged to axe charges of up to £500 letting agents currently impose on tenants.


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In response to Labour's May Day campaign launch, the Conservatives said evidence from other countries suggested rent controls lead to "poorer quality accommodation, fewer homes being rented and ultimately higher rents".........Read more here