During the Summer of 2009 Under One Roof started it's first ever campaign by posting a petition on the governments Number 10 website.
The decision was made when it became apparent from the increasing number of enquiries that some housing associations and council landlords were attempting to charge tenants who wanted to exchange, a fee of up to £360 for gas and electricity checks.
These checks are a necessary part of the mutual exchange process, because the landlord must carry them out before letting the property to a new tenant. However it's only recently that some have decided to charge for doing this when it comes to exchanges. Their argument is that there is nothing within the 1985 Housing Act that says they can't do it.
So it seems that once again greedy landlords are out to make as much as they can from those least able to afford it.
We have advised anyone who's been a victim of this "exchange tax" not to pay it. Not paying this charge will not prevent your exchange from going ahead because it is not one of the reasons listed within the 1985 Housing Act that permission to exchange can be refused. So if you don't pay, they cannot refuse the exchange.
Unfortunately we also know of exchangers who have simply paid up rather than take the perceived risk of losing their exchange and there's the rub. These landlords know that exchangers don't want to do anything to lose their exchange and will worry that it might be refused (even though it can't be) so they'll pay up anyway.
Finding an exchange can take many years and involve lot of hard work, worry and stress. Then along come unscrupulous landlords to rip you off. Hence this petition against the exchange tax.
At the time of writing the petition has reached the minimum requirement of 500. But if you have not signed please do so. Some signatures may get rejected so enough are needed to account for this and the more signatures there are the more likely it is that something may be done about it.
Note: The petition closed on October 23 2009 with 604 signatures.
