Newham Local Authority launch Agent rating scheme

Seems like Newham Council could have saved some money and utilized the following website: https://www.marksoutoftenancy.com/ Bristol City Council are taking an interest in this website and it will be presented to members of the Association of Local Landlords (Wessex) at their next Bristol meeting on 11th Oct.

If 5 stars is ‘no concern’ and 0 stars is ’cause for concern’, one can reasonably assume that 4, 3 & 2 stars are incrementally further causes for concern.

I note that ‘best practice’ and ‘best service’ are judging criteria, but just because you may not necessarily follow ‘best practice’ (despite being perfectly legal) or give ‘best service’, which would no doubt lose you a star or two, does not in any way indicate *any* ’cause for concern’ yet this is what their rating system will suggest.

Dear Luke
Newham have advised landlords and tenants not to deal with agents that have a rating lower than 3 stars.
The purpose of the scheme is to protect landlords and tenants from rogue landlords, the council states that since the introduction of the rating system the levels of standards have improved. Over 70% on the register have three stars or above.

Reply to the comment left by Sherrelle Collman at 24/08/2017 – 12:10
What they are suggesting is that anyone with anything other than five stars is considered, to whatever degree, a cause for concern, which according to their criteria would include those following every rule going (but perhaps not necessarily giving ‘best practice’). A lack of best practice, no doubt rating you to an absolute maximum of four stars, suggests there’s an element of ‘concern’ when in reality there may be absolutely no ’cause for concern’ (as with a five star rating), only that ‘best practice’ or ‘best service’ is not employed. Hardly the definition of concern…at whatever level.

It’s a subtlety, but an important one and one I would suggest Newham are not in a position to cast judgment on.