Marks Out Of Tenancy launches digital service for Councils to catch bad landlords

Landlords and local authorities are constantly working to create a more professional, transparent and safer private rental sector.
By Ben Yarrow
12 November 2019

 

Marks Out Of Tenancy launches digital service for Councils to catch bad landlords

Landlords and local authorities are constantly working to create a more professional, transparent and safer private rental sector.

In an effort to close the gap between renters and local authorities, earlier this week, Marks Out Of Tenancy announced the launch of a new digital service designed to help local authorities access data to help raise standards in the private rental sector, and at the same time unroot the minority of bad landlords who would usually fly under the radar.

Using the service called 'Vault', local authorities can:

 - Find landlords and letting agents who aren't licensed,
 - locate unlicensed HMOs,
 - use customer feedback when running 'fit and proper' landlord licence tests,
 - access data to understand what's actually happening in the rental market in their local authority area.

The service is being trialled in several major local authority areas with Nottingham City Council as Technical Partner.

Paul Greevy, ‘Safer Housing service’s Strategic Housing Manager’ of Nottingham City Council had this to say: “Sometimes the plates come together, and the simplest ideas impact on local authorities from another tangent - in this case to the world of raising standards in the private rented sector. The cumulative impacts over time - of statutes, accreditation and Licensing - are now augmented by what has the potential to be a TripAdvisor for the private rented sector. If you’re letting private rented accommodation enjoy that 10 star review, for the 1 star landlord, time for a rethink because your local authority should be in touch.”

The website is already mentioned in Ministry of Housing's 'How To Rent' guidebook and promoted by universities and students' unions across the UK.

Ben Yarrow, CEO of Marks Out Of Tenancy stated: "We're always aiming to improve conditions in the private rental sector. Tenants can already make better informed decisions about where they want to rent, and with the launch of this new digital service, local authorities have access to legally compliant, timely and accurate data enabling them to focus on enforcement action. It's a win-win for the good guys."

More information about the service is available here: https://www.marksoutoftenancy.com/local-authorities

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