LANDLORD RATING WEBSITE DEMANDED
3 March 2011
A consumer action group has recently published a report calling for more feedback for tenants about private landlords. Consumer Focus, who conducted the research showed that in the past two years, many of the 1.1 million households who signed up for a new tenancy experienced some form of problem with their landlord which only became apparent after signing an agreement.
Currently, diligent agents (Edmund Cude included) subject tenants to a thorough referencing procedure before being allowed to let a property. But there is sometimes little or no information available for tenants to check potential landlords when choosing a property to rent. Comparisons were made to ratings sites such as EBay or Amazon where previous "customers" can leave feedback about a landlord and give future tenants a better insight into their potential landlords.
But there has been some pessimism regarding the practicalities of implementing such a scheme. The National Landlords Association Chairman, David Salusbury, expressed his view: "The National Landlords Association condemns the small minority of bad landlords who seek to exploit their tenant, but does not believe an online ratings website is an effective way of raising standards in the private rented sector. In fact, the NLA believes a ratings website could drive rogue landlords under the radar whilst adding unnecessary burdens on the law abiding majority."
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