Benefits All Round as Landlords Sign Up

Date published: 02/03/2004

A new scheme aimed at improving the standard of private rented homes will bring benefits for landlords, tenants, neighbours - and Council Tax payers. Landlords will benefit from the FREE Landlord Accreditation Scheme set up by Rochdale Council through free gas and safety checks on their properties. Tenants will benefit from higher standards of safety and speedier processing of benefit claims.

Neighbours will benefit because landlords in the scheme will manage tenancies more effectively, including taking prompt action against tenants behaving anti-socially.

Council Tax payers will benefit because the scheme will mean a reduction in the amount of repeated checking that needs to be done into properties and tenancies.

The new scheme is one of the initiatives being funded as part of the Oldham and Rochdale Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder Project aimed at improving housing, the environment and the quality of life in the two boroughs. The Project is run by the Oldham and Rochdale Local Strategic Partnerships representing a wide range of organisations and community groups and working together as Partners in Action.

After consultation with local landlords, more incentives to join the scheme could include: an improved Housing Benefits service, tenancy referencing, support to deal with anti- social behaviour, assistance to improve property standards, training events, and a service to advertise empty properties. There are also plans to hold regular forums where landlords can meet to discuss common issues and share ideas.

Landlords will qualify to join the scheme if each of their properties is of a decent standard, is in a reasonable state of repair, has a gas safety certificate, and is subject to a tenancy agreement.

Councillor Angie Robinson, Rochdale Council's Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and Housing, said: "It is extremely important that Rochdale has a thriving private-rented sector.

"Housing Market Renewal funding has given us the opportunity to work more closely with landlords to help them to provide local people with affordable, well-managed, good quality homes."

More than fifty landlords attended an event to mark the start of the Landlord Accreditation Scheme at Rochdale Town Hall (on Tuesday 27 January 2004) and 12 have already signed up for the scheme.

The scheme is based on a successful pilot project that was started in the Derker neighbourhood of Oldham last year.