The National Landlords Association (NLA) has committed to accredit all landlord members by 2020.
In a speech on ‘Delivering excellence in the private-rented sector’ at the joint CIH/NLA Private Rented Sector Conference, Carolyn Uphill, deputy chairman of the NLA, outlined the Association’s ‘Vision for Accreditation’.
The NLA believes that landlord accreditation is a key tool to improving standards in the private-rented sector and it actively encourages all landlords – members and non-members – to become NLA accredited landlords.
The NLA’s ‘Vision for Accreditation’ aims to give all NLA members a means of objectively demonstrating their knowledge and competence as landlords. And in making NLA accreditation a more central aspect of its membership, the NLA hopes to show how NLA member landlords are different from other, non-accredited, landlords.
NLA accreditation requires landlords to complete the NLA foundation course (either in attendance, at one of the seminars hosted across the UK, or online) and maintain their knowledge via continued professional development (CPD). Attending landlord meetings and conferences, additional landlord development courses and reading NLA literature all contribute to CPD.
The emphasis on management skills and professional development ensures landlords understand their obligations, enabling them to uphold the many standards and regulations governing the private-rented sector. It is a scheme that comes highly regarded by landlords, policy makers and local authorities alike.
Uphill said: “We believe that NLA membership should be synonymous with landlord professionalism and accreditation is a significant factor in helping us achieve this. To have all our members accredited is an ambitious target but realistic in the lead time provided.
“By demonstrating a level of competence represented by NLA accreditation, NLA members will be able to set themselves apart through evidence of their commitment to quality and standards.
“We all need to work together as an industry to improve the reputation of our sector and NLA members can play an important role through leading by example.”