Aberdeen Landlord Accreditation Scheme
Aberdeen Landlord Accreditation Scheme is now incorporated into Landlord Accreditation Scotland
It was decided by Committee on 3 June 2008 that the Aberdeen Landlord Accreditation Scheme would be absorbed into Landlord Accreditation Scotland and that its members would be passported into the scheme.
Aberdeen City Council is working in partnership with LAS to continue to promote best practice within the private rented sector and will continue to provide local events and information as and when appropriate. Landlords and agents will still be able to contact the Council for assistance through the Private Sector Housing Unit which is currently being developed to streamline the services provided to the private sector.
Landlord Accreditation Scotland was launched on 30 April 2008 by Stewart Maxwell at the National Landlord Day conference and began accepting applications for membership on 1 June 2008.
At the launch Stewart Maxwell Minister of Communities and Sport said: "The introduction of the Landlord Accreditation scheme, a scheme run by landlords for landlords, will further benefit both landlords and tenants in the private rented sector." John Blackwood, director of the Scottish Association of Landlords, added: "The Scottish Association of Landlords has been campaigning since 2002 for the introduction of a national landlord accreditation scheme that will finally give recognition to the majority of landlords who provide a quality service to their tenants.
Archie Stoddart, director of Shelter Scotland, said: "We welcome the new National Landlord Accreditation Scheme as complimentary to registration and a way to recognise good landlords."
Landlord Accreditation Scotland is a partnership between the Scottish Association of Landlords, the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association and the Scottish Government.
The national accreditation scheme will build on the experiences of four pilot local schemes, which were funded by Communities Scotland. The biggest benefit of a national scheme is that any landlord in Scotland can become accredited regardless of where they operate.
LAS is free for landlords to join. There is an annual membership fee for agents determined by the number of properties they manage.
| Number of properties managed | Fee |
|---|---|
| 50 properties or under | £50.00 |
| 51 to 150 properties | £150.00 |
| 151 to 500 properties | £300.00 |
| 501 properties or more | £350.00 |
In order to join LAS, landlords and letting agents will need to certify that they meet the Scottish National Core Standards and Good Practice Guidance for Private Landlords. LAS will check that each landlord is registered with Aberdeen City Council before approving their application. There will also be random inspections of properties and documentation, along with surveys of samples of tenants in accredited properties, to ensure landlords and letting agents are meeting the required standards. To join LAS or to find out more information please visit www.landlordaccreditationscotland.com
LAS aims to raise the standards within the private rented sector by encouraging private landlords to seek voluntary accreditation as a way of rewarding them for managing their properties to standards which go above and beyond their basic legal requirements. Members will also need to agree to attend at least one training course each year to ensure there is a commitment to continuous improvement in their practices (there will be a cost for this).
The scheme will also allow tenants looking for a property to find out which landlords are meeting these higher requirements and will hopefully make LAS landlords the landlords of choice for prospective tenants.
Contact
To find out more about the scheme please contact:
landlordaccreditation@aberdeencity.gov.uk or phone on 01224 538040
Related Information
- Landlord Registration
- National Maintenance Week
- Better Renting Scotland - Information on Private Rented Housing
- Houses In Multiple Occupancy (HMOs)
- Private Landlord Newsletter No 1
- Private Landlord Newsletter 2
- Private Landlord Newsletter 3
- Who Rules the Roof?
- Cannabis Factory Awareness Leaflet
- Landlord Training Events May 2007
- The Private Rented Housing Panel
- Aberdeen Property Repair Initiative
- Landlord Information Session November 2007
- Private Renting Iinformation for Landlords
- Private Sector Tenant Rights (English)
- Private Sector Tenants Rights (Polish)
- National Core Standards
- Landlord Energy Performance Certificates
- HSE Alert - Redundant Solid Fuel Back Boilers
