Caroline Pickering, Chair of the National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS) welcomes the Communities and Local Government response to the Rugg Report
13 May, 2009 Pickering continued: “We fully agree that it is absolutely necessary that any regulatory body is not bound or led by the industry, although it must work with the industry to ensure that any licensing framework sets achievable, accessible standards for all good agents operating in the sector. NALS, a Government recognised organisation, was established ten years ago by The Empty Homes Agency as an accreditation scheme for lettings and management agents in the private rented sector – to set a single kitemark for the protection of tenant and landlords. “There is a need for tighter regulation and accountability among lettings and management agents; a national registration scheme for landlords and mandatory regulation of lettings agents will propel the sector forward in achieving best practice and increasing consumer protection. But agents don’t have to wait - they can demonstrate to consumers now that they fully meet industry standards for customer service by gaining NALS accreditation. “We are pleased that this response recognises the importance of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) and its contribution to the supply of housing in this country and we welcome the opportunity to continue working closely with the CLG. NALS has taken the lead in the licensing debate with the establishment of a Consultative Licensing Forum comprising industry and consumer groups, chaired by Lord Richard Best. At its first meeting, plans for a licensing scheme setting criteria for all letting and managing agents were unanimously supported and we will deliver our blueprint for a licensing scheme to Government in June after our concluding meeting.” List of organisations which are part of the Consultative Forum: Chair: Lord Richard Best |
About NALS
NALS is backed by the Government and the professional bodies in the lettings sector. NALS offers a reliable benchmark for landlords and tenants to compare the standards of service they receive from residential letting agents. All accredited firms commit to providing clearly defined levels of customer service, have client money protection cover, maintain professional indemnity insurance and operate an Ombudsman customer complaints procedure. For more information visit www.nalscheme.co.uk The National Approved Letting Scheme board comprises:
Caroline Pickering (independent Chair), representatives from Communities and Local Government (CLG), British Property Federation, Sanctuary Group, the National Union of Students, the Guild of Letting and Management with a NALS accredited firm representative. NFOPP and RICS attend meetings as Observers For further press information please contact:
Please contact Lindsay McAloon or Caroline Hole-Jones at Splash Communications: 01225 318000. E: lmcaloon@splashcommunications.com E: cholejones@splashcommunications.com |
