The main belief people have about lettings agents is that they charge unnecessary administration fees and this can be a driving force for people to limit their search to finding a property privately. It is true that some unscrupulous lettings agents can potentially charge an unlimited and very high admin fee. So common has been this practice in the past that lettings agents are now required by law to post a notice on all listings making potential tenants aware that an admin fee may apply. This prompts all prospective tenants to inquire about the fees beforehand.