AN MP is calling on the government to crack down on “rip-off” letting agents.

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones said tougher rules are needed to prevent the high number of tenants currently feeling conned.

He said: “A recent Shelter and YouGov poll found that one in four people have been charged an unfair fee by a letting agent.

“Citizens Advice found that that 94per cent of letting agents imposed up to seven additional charges.

“Lettings agents are not required to meet minimum professional standards and are not subject to any form of licensing regime.

“AGents can charge extortionate and opaque ‘administration fees or evict tenants with little or no notice.

“This means that the tenant has very little protection when things go wrong unless their letting agent is a member of an Ombudsman Scheme such as RICS and ARLA.

“RICS has commissioned independent consumer research on the issue which found that consumers overwhelmingly want better regulation.”