Letting agents in Gloucestershire have spoken out against a new campaign launched by housing charity Shelter to ban all agency fees charged to tenants.
Tenant fees charged by letting agents are "truly out of control" with the average cost to set-up a tenancy reaching £350, according to Shelter.
The lobbying organisation is calling for an end to the fees, which include administration costs and credit checks.
But letting agents in the county have reacted strongly against the campaign which comes after the charity was instrumental in getting fees banned by law in Scotland.
Stuart Nash, director at The Property Centre, said: "Since the ban on letting agents fees was introduced in Scotland there has been a marked increase in rents to cover the costs faced by landlords.
"Shelter should be lobbying for greater transparency on what fees tenants pay and when the fees become chargeable.
"This would allow tenants to make an informed decision on whether to use a particular agent."
David Baker, managing director of CGT Lettings, said landlords and tenants would suffer from a ban on the fees.
He said: "Shelter thinks that banishing agents' fees will somehow help. On the contrary. Agents will have to somehow re-coup these costs by passing them onto the landlords, who in turn will be forced to increase rents. Tenants will pay more in the long run."
Marcus Annfield, director of Woodfield Lettings and Property Management, said while he was against the campaign he was for regulation of the industry.
He said: "As a member of the Association of Residential Letting Agents, we work to a strict code of conduct. Our fees are representative of some of the work we do in order to secure and maintain a tenancy.
"Moving house always comes with costs and I'm deeply in favour of sensible regulation of our industry."
Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: "Letting agency fees have now become truly out of control.
"When renters have to find hundreds of pounds in fees each time they move, on top of deposits and rent in advance, it's not surprising that fees are causing real financial hardship and, in some cases, preventing people from moving at all."