One of the existing two government-authorised redress schemes governing estate and letting agents has called on landlords to voluntarily join, ahead of the move being made compulsory in the future.
The government recently outlined far-reaching redress reforms which include a mandatory requirement for all private landlords to join a redress service, with a fine of £5,000 for those who fail to do so.
Now Sean Hooker, head of redress at the Property Redress Scheme, says landlords should join his service or The Property Ombudsman before it becomes mandatory.
“We at the PRS have always accepted landlords and other property professionals as well as the mandatory letting and estate agents. So we’re more than happy to welcome you, as a private landlord” says Hooker in a social media presentation.
“It will help you to prepare yourself for when mandatory redress membership comes in and will help you build on a professional and well-informed business model that will be robust for the future” he adds.
The other imminent government redress changes include a New Homes Ombudsman, eventually with legislation obliging developers to join; the creation of a Housing Complaints Resolution Service which will be a single one-stop-shop for housing complaints; and a new single Code of Practice on complaint handling across all tenures.
Hooker, head of redress at the Property Redress Scheme says he is pleased that there will be “a single access point” for complaints and says that the package of reforms “is a move towards professionalising the industry and a move towards raising standards, and should be welcomed by all of the people in the industry.”
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Of course they do, it's more money for them, isn't it?
Everything I have read relating Landlords joining a redress scheme indicates that all Landlords have to join even if their properties are managed by an Agent who, already belongs to a redress scheme. Is this correct? If so why the need for double bubble?
Indeed, that would seem daft seeing the landlord is using an agent.
Re the New Homes Ombudsman .... before getting one I'd love to see action taken to ensure that roads in new housing estates are either adopted by the District Council (poorer ones can no longer afford to do so) or are covered at an early stage by a management company with the residents protected against that company either taking their contributions and going bust or being sold on as yet another Management Co cash cow. Too many estates have these problems already, it was debated in Parliament in 2010 .... but the problem is getting worse.
I don't think it's daft at all for landlords to be compelled to be a member of a redress scheme, even if their agent does belong to one. The agent doesn't control the landlords purse strings does he? What if tenant reports a problem to agent and landlord refuses to pay to have it fixed?
The problem is Local Authorities NOT implementing adequate measures they Already have at their disposal.
The answer is NOT ; more Licensing, or, for that matter any compulsory Redress schemes, - more cost, bureaucracy and red tape for landlords. ! that's just more of making the majority pay for the minority offenders and shouldn't be supported by Any Landlord.
L.A.'s - should work more Intelligently led - there's lots of avenues for that, Citizens Advice and the other dubious charities.
sigh.... more cost for landlords and higher rent for tenants. when would this end? perhaps end the prs era and let the council pick up where they been sadly lacking ie provide the high standard of housing for those not wanted to be burden and responsible for their own mortgage as they are busy pursuing the prs for if they had done their job in housing, there wont be a need to regulate the prs so much.
Full stop, space, capital letter to start the next or any sentence.
I see that you have not yet been back to school.
Let's all just sell up and go commercial and leave these gormless ones that have not got a clue,to provide housing again as they did in the 50s, 60s and 70s.
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