Wolverhampton’s 1st ‘Official’ 5 Star Landlord & Agent

City of Wolverhampton Council has named its first 5 star landlord under the new ‘Rent with Confidence’ scheme.

Lyndon Whitehouse, Director of L&A Lettings, owns several 5 star properties in the city and has also been granted five-star agent status.

The rating system is similar to the one used by the Food Standards Agency for restaurants and takeaways.

It is hoped it will raise the bar for the quality of private sector rented housing in the city – improving the health and well-being of residents, and encouraging greater customer choice.

Councillor Peter Bilson, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Housing and Assets, said: “We are delighted to announce Lyndon as our first ever 5 star landlord.

“He is a perfect example of the standards we expect to be provided by landlords for residents in Wolverhampton and he has also given us an important insight from a landlord’s perspective.

“Rent with Confidence is all about being open and transparent and will help make it clear who are the good landlords and who are not.

“Standards need to be improved across the board and we need to stop the exploitation of people whose choices are limited.

“This 5 star system is both innovative and should make a real difference to improving the quality of private sector rental property in Wolverhampton as we continue to regenerate the city.

“This in turn provides health and safety benefits associated with better living conditions.

“Visually the scheme is easily recognisable and will help tenants and other housing providers identify the best landlords.

“The detail has been developed in consultation with partner agencies and landlords.

“It is a part of a wider package of housing measures aimed at improving standards across Wolverhampton.”

Stars are awarded to landlords who comply with the law and who rent out property above the minimum statutory standards, with financial incentives for 5 star landlords.

Three to five star landlords are given access to the new property website portal, Rent with Confidence, which is run by the council, and only advertises council-approved properties.

The database of properties available through the scheme will be gradually built up over time as the Rent with Confidence web portal becomes THE search engine for private rented properties in the city. In the meantime tenants will be able to register their interest in finding accommodation in the city on the website.

In order to deal with the initial large influx of requests, landlords have been invited to self assess their properties on the portal to gain a preliminary rating until the council is able to inspect and confirm these ratings. It is anticipated that around 800 properties will be put through the programme in its first year of operation.

All star ratings will be published on the website for tenants and landlords to view, along with a new feature giving up to date information on which legal notices have been served on landlords.

Overall, the scheme will see improved health and wellbeing of residents, along with better property and housing management standards, and longer term stability in neighbourhoods.  The scheme will improve the private rented offer and support the economic regeneration of the city.

The scheme works in conjunction with the council’s ‘Educate, Encourage, Enforce’ approach to ensuring the city’s private rental market meets the needs and aspirations of residents.

The rating system, which has been formulated in consultation with landlords, is based on five key principles – property, maintenance, legal compliance, continued professional development (CPD), and investment in the city. Each element is weighted and together provides a final score and associated star rating.

The best landlords are being highlighted and education support, where required, will be provided to help them maintain their top star status.

Rogue landlords and criminal landlords are being hit with a revised and more robust enforcement policy, and further use of licensing powers.

There is a clear appeals procedure with the onus on the landlord to provide evidence.

Early feedback on the scheme has been very positive and there is a waiting list of landlords ready and keen to be rated.

For further information about Rent with Confidence please email rwc@wolverhampton.gov.uk.

Mark Alexander, founder of Property118.com and the landlords Union said; “Lyndon has been incredibly supportive of Property118 in many ways. Earlier this year his agency donated £1,000 to The Landlords Union. He also helped us at the Property Investor Show and promotes Property118 to all of his fellow landlords and clients.”

@iAmALandlord and The Landlords Union @Property118 send congratulations https://t.co/khMjw4pV2S

— Mark Alexander (@iAmALandlord) November 28, 2016