A new accreditation scheme designed to improve the poor image of private landlords has been launched by the Residential Landords' Association (RLA).

Members of the RLA - which represents landlords with more than £1.2billion worth of property and more than 30,000 tenancies across the UK - will have to meet strict management standards to achieve the accreditation.

The organisation is keen to address the negative perception of private landlords which RLA chairman Martin Moylan believes has been perpetuated by the public sector and registered social landlords.

He explained: "The Residential Landlords Association Accreditation (RLAAS) will only be available to landlords who can demonstrate their commitment to high standards and a rigorous code of practice which is backed by a disciplinary procedure.

"We believe that if landlords get the basic management of their properties right then they stand a far better chance of providing the type of accommodation that millions of potential tenants are seeking and are not going to further tarnish the unfair image of our industry.

"Residential property investment and management has been linked with the name of Peter Rachman for over 40 years - it is about time that people began to recognise that the majority of private landlords are decent people providing much needed housing and trying to make a return on their investment.

"As interest rates drop we are seeing more and more people of all ages looking to property as an investment and as house prices rise there are increasing numbers of people who simply can't afford a mortgage but don't qualify for social housing.

"What we are aiming to do with the RLAAS is encourage best practice among landlords so that the image which our industry is still trying to shake off can be proved to be a misconception."

As well as conducting extensive research into market rents and housing benefit on behalf of its members, the RLA has also introduced a tenancy agreement designed to stop tenants signing complicated documents that they don't understand.

It was so well designed and written that it was award the prestigious Crystal Mark from the Plain English Campaign.

Martin Moylan added: "We recognise that, as in any industry, there a small number of bad apples who are not going to meet the required standard. What the RLA is aiming to do is reassure tenants who deal with our members that they are signing up with a reputable landlord."

The RLA is the country's leading voice in the private rented sector and has branches throughout the UK.

It also offers a comprehensive package of benefits which includes training programmes, an advice hot-line and a magazine, as well as deals on legal services and insurance and a free tenancy agreement which carries the Crystal Mark awarded by the Plain English Campaign.

Anyone wanting more information about the RLA should visit www.rla.org.uk or call 0161 962 0010.

ENDS

Issued on behalf of the Residential Landlords Association by Citypress PR. Contact Paul Smith at Citypress on 0161 6060 269 or email paul@citypress.co.uk.

Note to Editors

HOW THE RLAA WILL WORK

The scheme aims to build on the solid reputation of the RLA by asking members to:

• Demonstrate an ability to manage by attending a course on letting, managing and ending a tenancy.
• To always provide tenants with agreements written in plain English and to keep counterparts of each for record purposes.
• To always give written receipts for deposits, to outline what the deposit covers and to account fully to tenants for deposits at the end of each tenancy.
• To undertake a complete inventory of each property, indicating the condition of items and the property and to give signed copies to tenants and to obtain signed counter copies on each letting.
• To meet the Service Level Performance criteria as published by the RLA.
• To provide each tenant with written information outlining his or her responsibilities to the landlord, the property, neighbours and others.
• To let only property that conforms to the standards of the Property Module and only that for which a current Property Inspection Certificate has been completed.
• To become a member of the Independent Housing Ombudsman's Scheme when it is made accessible to private landlords.
• To instruct only letting and management agents that are fully accredited, once such an acceptable scheme is available.