All landlords belonging to the National Landlords Association will in future have to go on educational courses.
The NLA has announced the plans as part of a commitment to accredit all its members by 2020.
Members will have to complete a course, either in person or online, and also maintain their knowledge by attending meetings, conferences and further courses, and reading NLA literature to gain ongoing points in Continuous Professional Development.
While details have yet to be fully spelled out, it appears to mean that new members will have to pass a foundation course and commit to CPD before their applications are accepted, while existing members will have to undergo the training if they still wish to belong to the association.
A foundation course currently costs nothing if it is done online, but £95 for members (£125 for non-members) if they attend. CPD currently demands ten hours of study per year. If CPD is not adhered to, then the accredited status is lost: presumably in future, this will mean that landlords will also lose their membership.
The plans were outlined in a speech on ‘Delivering excellence in the private-rented sector’ by Carolyn Uphill, who is deputy chairman of the NLA.
She said that 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.
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.”
A spokesperson for the NLA said that having to undertake training and CPD would not impact on costs of membership if members did their studying online, but there would be extra to pay if landlords personally went on courses.
The spokesperson said: “We are confident that this is the way forward for the NLA and we hope that the majority of our members agree.
“We also hope that setting a target date of 2020 will provide adequate time for NLA members to manage the transition.”
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Comments
I have been a member of the NLA for several years. I find the services available to be extremely helpful & have recommended membership to a number of landlords, even those who only have 1 property rented.
However, I am very disappointed by this objective. In my opinion the Law of Unintended Consequences will apply ie the opposite of what was wanted!
Education for landlords is perhaps something that impresses government who have no understanding of the commercial world. Education is not the issue for responsible landlords.
The rogue landlords are the ones who will never be members. Introducing more time-consuming initiatives for responsible landlords will achieve nothing positive and will prevent small landlords from joining. This in turn will mean that less experienced landlords wont have the resources of the NLA to support them. Therefore more landlords will fail to have enough knowledge of current issues, changes to legislation or of how to manage difficult tenants.
Certainly education is needed, but this should be aimed at tenants and the parents of students who will be renting accommodation.
The NLA needs to support its members by educating Government so it understands that most of the rogues are tenants, not landlords.
If the NLA had anything about them.. they would be adopting the German system where the protection is for the landlord and the landlord actually makes money from letting and then is able to do the repairs.. 5% yield if pathetic as a rental income.. it needs to be at LEAST 8% yield inorder to maintain properties.. but because the NLA don't push for proper rents and allows the goverment to put policies in where by benefit tenants get the rent "then are supposed to pass it on" landlords are losing money hand over fist. I currently have 5 properites empty.. its not worth renting them.. 4% yield in one area and its not a bad area or house.. I can't afford tenants to destroy the refurbished house.. as the rent for 3 years won't cover a basic kitchen
What about the Tenants.. Maybe it should be mandatory that they also attend a course,,, AND A HUNDRED QUID for what some photocopies.. £25 and i'd be okay.. Money grabbing comes to mind.. STICK THE NLA.. You don't do enough for the average landlord.. You've weak uneffective.. just a platform for the the big boys.. Why we left!!!
We are not suggesting that a landlord must be accredited to join or remain an NLA member. NLA membership should be synonymous with landlord professionalism and accreditation is a significant factor in helping us achieve this. Our ambition is to persuade all members to get behind this initiative. We will support all members through their journey to accreditation, helping them demonstrate their professionalism to prospective tenants and the wider community. We believe that setting a target date of 2020 will provide plenty of time for us to manage the transition.
Instead of cheap sales tactics to boost NLA coffers, Uphill and the others living off landlords membership should instead focus their attention on the issues landlords face, not act as if we are all a bunch of illiterate, ignorant and wayward people letting dodgy properties to the vulnerable.
Who's side is she on for goodness sake and who gives a damn about a landlord being accredited or not! Not a single tenant I have ever met. LIPSTICK ON A PIG! Its the same thinking all civil servants have with not a lot to do, how can wee screw a few more pennies from the bloody landlords? Get off your derriers and challenge the plethora of anti landlord legislation, media hate and rent payment and debit issues we face and stop pretending you know whats best for us. Pathetic!