Tenants warned over scam websites

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (Arla) said it had seen an increase during the past six months in fake websites.

It said foreign criminals often copied the sites of genuine UK letting agents, even incorporating the Arla logo to make it look as though they belonged to the industry trade body.

Ian Potter, of Arla, said: “Due to the apparent quality of some of these fraudulent sites, tenants should ensure that they use web portals such as www.propertylive.co.uk where they can be sure that all the properties are advertised through regulated agents.”