Not content with supporting the governments landlord licence / landlord register - a glorified list of landlords for which landlords would be charged to appear.
They now have launched an online database of their membership which equates to people who stump up the £70 annual charge for being a member of this venerable organisation.
This will allow tenants to check that their landlord is OK by seeing that they have paid £88 to the NLA to join.
Now, correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think there are any qualifying criteria for joining the NLA other than spending the £88 on membership. So how this indicates to anybody including tenants anything about the quality of the landlord or property they own I have know idea.
It appears to me that if Peter Rachman or dear old Nicholas van Hoogstraten
had the odd eighty quid spare they could appear on the list as well.
Something wrong here..?
Free property management software, Free tenancy agreements
Chris - for once, I agree with you. We are at direct opposite ends of the landlord register argument I am for it - you against) but if there is no sanction, or means to publicly boot a landlord from these schemes, either in the government version or here, it won't work.
ReplyDeleteHi RenterGirl and Chris
ReplyDeleteThe NLA is not in favour of a national register of landlords just for the sake of it but only if it can be shown to root out the rogue operators. Simple.
By joining the NLA, landlords are showing that they abide by a Code of Conduct and that tenants' have some recourse if something goes wrong. We are not claiming it is watertight and that we can do much to our members. But we can do some things.
By joining the NLA, Chris, it does show that a landlord is taking their enterprise more seriously. And, yes, they have to pay £70 per year to do that. Is £70 a lot of money to you?
As almost 18,000 landlords actually do this, we must be doing something right.
The NLA will publicly name and shame any of its members who are expelled following the disciplinary investigations which are undertaken. This is normal for trade associations and professional bodies.
As we are not a statutory body, it is not actually our job to regulate landlords. But we do think that a register of members goes a little way to offering tenants some security.
It is better than offering nothing, in any case.
Come on Chris, next issue to attack with please?!?
I agree with Steve - that it probably is better than nothing.
ReplyDeleteHowever it does sound pretty toothless and pointless, if you analyse it.
A more cynical person might see it as a pretty transparent marketing tool to try and boost some interest in joining the NLA, especially since they seem to have done a u-turn on their attitude towards the governments mandatory licensing scheme ( possibly soon after someone in the marketing department came up with the idea of having their own list. )
But one should try not to be too cynical in this world.
Before I depart for sunnier climes...
ReplyDeleteThanks Anon. for this but you are being a cynic!!
We haven't done a u-turn. I know Chris thinks we have, but we haven't.
We have said the same thing all along. Check the site.
Our line is: "if we can be shown that a no-hurdle, low-cost register of landlords will root out the rogue element, we could support it."
The trouble is we are yet to see the evidence of how it will.
Why shouldn't we publish a database of our members for tenants to check? It makes perfect sense and is done by other consumer-facing organisations which want to show that their membership to have to abide by certain standards.
No, we cannot bring criminal charges or fine members. But we can expel them. That is, at least, a greater level of security than nothing at all. It is limited but not pointless.
To end for today. Publishing a list of members has been in the NLA pipeline long before Dr Rugg suggested a licence.
Thanks again.
Steve
I am a Rogue Landlord.
ReplyDeleteBut now if I pay £70 I can have a licence from the NLA.
After a bunch of disputes and complaints from tenants , eventually in a couple of years the NLA, revoke my NLA card and throw me out the club.
Ouch.
Now I dont have an NLA card, well it was good whilst it lasted, now I'm back where I started , so no harm there.
Well, we can all be cynical.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'll bother taking the time to reply.