Benefits of Membership

Positive publicity (leaflets, scheme awareness)

Entry/identification on College accommodation lists.

• Access to preferential arrangements for property insurance.
• Access to advice on all housing matters.
• Access to the expertise of housing professionals and the potential to influence Council policy via the Landlords Forum.
• Advice on maintenance schedules for properties.
• Provision of a comprehensive Landlords Handbook with regular updates.

Application and Acceptance

Participation by owners in the scheme will be by application on a form supplied by the Council.

The form will be property specific.

A survey and some management checks will be undertaken to confirm eligibility for acceptance. Should the property not comply, the opportunity will be given to rectify any failures within specific timescales without the need for a fresh application or payment of a second fee. Should the timescale not be met the application will fail and accreditation at a future date will require a fresh application and payment of a second fee.

Compliance with the scheme will be partly self regulating in that at the end of each year the landlord self-certifies that the property still complies. This self certification will however be supplemented with a percentage of spot checks and an automatic visit and reappraisal if a complaint is received. At the end of the fixed period, re-application occurs and a new survey will be carried out.

The availability of preferential property insurance at discounted benefits will be linked to the level of compliance with standards and the owner's agreement to complete any relevant works within a phased programme.

Cost of participation

A fee of £49.35 inc. v.a.t. per property has been set. The fee is payable with the application and is non refundable. The fee covers the 5 year accreditation period.

The fee for accreditation will be waived for those properties licensed by the council.

Management of the scheme

The whole scheme will be run and administered by the City Council's Private Sector Housing Section.

Summary

Accreditation gives property owners a number of advantages within the private rented housing market by having:

Access to accommodation lists held by the colleges.

Be recommended by word of mouth from one group of tenants to the next.

Be secure in the knowledge that they have taken all reasonable steps to secure and safeguard the health, safety and welfare of tenants, and

Reduce the possibility of legal enforcement action by the Council.

Disclaimer

Individuals / tenants must always satisfy themselves about the standard of their accommodation. The City Council neither guarantees nor warrants its condition and accepts no liability if the tenant finds the accommodation wanting notwithstanding that the property may be accredited.

Downloads

• Accredited Property Application Form 
• Self Accreditation Form