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NLA steps up call for accreditation
The National Landlords’ Association, which has been outspoken in its opposition to local councils licensing landlords, has stepped up its demand for what it calls a more workable alternative – accreditation.
Renee Young, Landlord Development and Accreditation Officer at the NLA, calls council licensing “narrow minded” and adds up to little more than “names on a list”.
But she says an accreditation system as put forward by the NLA would be based on landlord development and would offer consistency for landlords, tenants and councils alike. “Research from the NLA shows that about 70 per cent of tenants said they’d be more likely to accept a property from a landlord if they knew they were committed to completing an annual programme of accreditation or training,” says Young.
The association says over 40 councils are promoting the NLA accreditation scheme, sometimes with local branding – for example, Cumbria Council recently launched accreditation in its patch, known as the Cumbria Landlords Accreditation Scheme.
“If we expect local or central government to recognise and absorb the truth – that the rogues are in a minority and that landlords are of real value to the economy – then a commitment to operating professionally can only strengthen the argument,” claims Young.
