Accreditation

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Accreditation landlords Landlords perspective

• Neil Marsden
• (Gamekeeper turned poacher!)

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What does a poacher do?

• Help landlords to comply with legislation
• Deliver landlord training
• Advise individual landlords trouble shooting
• Inspect accredited properties
• Building bridges .. LA landlord relationships
• Development work for ANUK
• Policy development for the RLA

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Gamekeeper role the challenges

• Complexity of legislation
• Housing Act 2004 .. loss of faith in enforcement?
• LA regulatory services .. low priority .. under
  resourced
• Lack of enforcement expertise
• Enforcement credibility gap .. legislators the
  enforcers
• Are LAs ideally placed to be PRS enforcers?

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Landlords perspective

• Institutionalised anti-landlord culture
• PRS under valued
• Never ending stream of new legislation
• Any more new legislation Im pulling out
• Legislation not designed to be helpful for
  landlords
• Enforcement attitudes

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Landlords perspective

• Lack of faith in effectiveness of enforcement ..
  Go get the baddies!
• Inconsistency in housing standards
• Law disproportionately in favour of the consumer
• Disproportionate fear of LA enforcement
• Need for .. less ..fairer .. simpler legislation
• The ideal .. (1) opportunity to self-regulate (2)
  access to clear local standards (3) targeted
  enforcement against the baddies

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LA landlord consultation

• Agree local, flexible, risk assessment based
  standards
• Agree local policies, procedures and service
  delivery systems
• LA/landlord joint policy working groups
• Setting up a local landlord association
• Landlord liaison officer

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Landlords information needs

• LA Website - landlords guide to housing
  standards, responsibilities liabilities
• Newsletters .. hardcopy, web and e.mail
• Landlord e.mail info system
• Special meetings for new PRS developments

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Landlords information needs

• Training ..
• Health safety
• Tenancy management
• Risk assessment
• Specialist training e.g. fire safety
• ANUK landlords development manual available from
  LACORS (www.lacors.gov.uk)
• Development of landlord assn. web based training

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Landlords business needs

• Local housing market info
• Promoting the PRS e.g. thro choice based
  lettings
• Assistance with ASB e.g. tenant referencing
• Promote membership of national landlord
  associations
• Drive out the baddies

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Ways Means Chartered Institute of Housing

• Recommendations on how local authorities the
  private rented sector should work together
• Based on research as to what is happening in
  partnership working and what is working well
• Available on www.cih.org

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The future of PRS regulation???

• CLG PRS review .. time for a radical new
  approach?
• Time for a reality check?
• The enforcement struggle vs. increasing
  self-regulation
• Law Commission .. Encouraging Responsible
  Letting .. a vision for a brave new world ..
  enforced self-regulation

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Self-regulation or enforced regulation Opt in ..
Opt out

• Accreditation exemption from statutory
  enforcement
• Accreditation scheme needs to be robust
• Comply with core values of accreditation
• ANUK approved accreditation schemes
• Opt in Opt out linking to statute

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Regulators Compliance Code

• SMART regulation
• Applies to Part 2 Housing Act 2004
• LAs must have regard to the Code
• Principles targeted enforcement proportional
  response to breaches helping landlords to
  comply consultation on standards rewarding good
  landlords