Revealed: How much you'll pay in fees to rent in Wolverhampton
People wanting to rent homes in Wolverhampton face paying £246 in charges, according to a survey which also found £332 was being charged per tenant in Staffordshire.
Despite the high amount, the research has found people in the city are facing paying less in charges than elsewhere in the UK, where the average is £257.
People in Stafford renting properties pay £75 more than the average while in Birmingham people should be prepared for fees totalling £306.
The highest admin and reference fee was found to be £423 in Gloucester and Hereford.
The lowest fee is Bradford, where people were charged £139.
The fee is before the added expenses that companies often charge renters, such as costs, which can be as high as £130, for moving in on a Saturday.
These added costs can force tenants to pay upfront and increase financial difficulties, according to the survey by online estate agents Purplebricks.
Michael Bruce, chief executive officer of Purplebricks said: "The fees currently charged by agencies lack transparency and tenants are faced with an array of extra charges they simply can't avoid if they want to rent a particular flat or house.
"Some of these are outrageous and bear no relationship to the actual cost of drawing up a contract or making a credit check.
"Over a third of homes in England and Wales are now rented and while some see renting as a stop gap before buying a home, or enjoy the flexibility renting offers, some can't afford to buy.
"At a time when it's becoming more expensive than ever to rent, it's outrageous that less scrupulous agents are profiteering from unfair fees charged to both tenants and landlords – they are getting two bites at the cherry. Tenants need to know what they will be charged so they can properly budget."
The costs do not consider the charges that residents may be demanded to pay when they want to move from the property.
The final inventory cost alone can be £200 and if people want a reference from an agent for a new home, it can cost around £60.
Agents can also charge a fee of £360 for a profession clean of a three-bedroom house, or make the renter pay £30 for leaving just one cardboard box behind.
It has been known that they have made residents pay a £250 fee for accidentally misplacing a sock under the bed.
