Labour council to set up agent review service with cash windfall

A council getting government cash for rental enforcement is using it to introduce a review service allowing tenants to comment on agents and landlords.

Labour-controlled Nottingham council is getting £100,000 from the government’s recently-announced £4m being given to local authorities to tighten up on private rental sector abuses.

In a statement Nottingham says one of the uses for the extra funds will be to introduce a system with the Marks Out Of Tenancy  scheme.

“The scheme works like Trip Advisor” says the statement, explaining that it asks tenants to review their home and its management. 

“The scheme...should see standards of properties improved as landlords take action to avoid and/or fix low rated properties and help tenants to feel more confident in renting a property” the statement continues.

Nottingham council had already announced that it was working an early version of the Marks Out Of Tenancy platform’s Vault service.

This allows users to find out which agents and landlords are not compliant with national or local requirements, to locate unlicensed HMOs, to use tenant reviews when running 'fit and proper' landlord licence tests, and to access data on the local rental market.

Nottingham council says it’s going to spend the rest of its £100,000 windfall on training and awareness videos aimed at improving landlord performance and rental property quality. 

A council spokeswoman says: “Most landlords want to comply with the law and offer a good home to their tenants. Tenants need to know what to expect from their landlord and the best way to exercise their rights. These projects offer a range of tools to make their lives easier and improve the safety and quality of housing.”