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The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC), which passed into law on 24 May 2024, contains provisions to prohibit unfair commercial practices, replacing and updating the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (the 2008 regulations). The legislation hands direct enforcement powers to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), giving them the authority to act on breaches of consumer protection rules, including requirements for providing material information.
Fraudsters exploited the vulnerabilities in the property transaction system by stealing a homeowner’s identity and using a fake driving license to set up a bank account in his name to facilitate a sale in 2021. After four years, on 11 March 2025, a County Court finally granted the owner full possession of his home.
The Universal Credit Fair Repayment Rate will drop from 25% to 15%, reducing the amount available to service an individual’s monthly debts, including housing payments. Furthermore, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is set to overhaul the system of the automatic deduction of arrears and ongoing rent payments directly from tenants' Universal Credit or other benefits, following a court ruling which deemed the practice unlawful.
Recent data from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) reveals that individuals aged between 18 and 39 account for nearly 75% of reported rental fraud cases, resulting in losses nearing £9 million across approximately 5,000 incidents last year. Property professionals must be vigilant and proactive in combating rental fraud to protect consumers and themselves.