Member Article

Consider-Rate Landlord and Tenant Scheme Given The Green Light By RLA

In light of Government initiatives to improve standards in the private rented sector, Leeds Council and The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) is backing a brand new service for both lettings agents and tenants known as Consider-Rate.

Consider-Rate was born out of a collaboration of tenants, landlords and lettings agents to provide an accurate rating system for all parties. It will support the Leeds Landlord Accreditation Scheme to build both a database of landlords, letting agents and tenants whose previous rental performance is known and also enable each party to compare their rental performance against their peers.

The aim is not just to understand the quality of properties provided by letting agents and landlords in the area in terms of safe legal and secure (Gas certificates Etc) but also the quality of service provided during a tenancy lifecycle.

Tim Gorton, a Director of Consider-Rate, said: “We developed Consider-rate after our experiences in the lettings industry, after realising that all rental parties have at some time been ‘stung’ by experience; by bad landlords, untrustworthy letting agents or non-paying/destructive tenants.

“The majority of tenants, landlords and letting agents are actually trying to do a good job – its actually those people that Consider-Rate is aiming to bring together – we want to minimise their risk through known performance.

Andrew Goodacre, RLA’s CEO said “The RLA believes that self-regulation for both landlords and lettings agents is the most effective way forward. Consider-Rate provides the system that will create not just this pool of ‘good’ landlords and tenants but also the information that will enable the accreditation scheme to understand the quality of property and service provided in the region and where to direct future effort. A 2-way rating system such as this provides transparency for all parties to make more informed decisions about who they want to do business with.

Tim Gorton, added: “We understand there has been a lot of negative press around letting agent and tenant review sites, but as Consider-rate is a closed user group as well as DPA98 compliant, only tenants, landlords and letting agents who have actually done business with each other can rate. Consider-Rate is intended to be an essential addition to current credit checking processes, already undertaken by lettings agents prior to move in day”.

“Traditional credit checking processes provide hard, fast data on how financially stable a tenant may be, but it doesn’t show if they continually pay on time, if they are clean and tidy, if they look after the property or if they are a reliable candidate. Equally tenants want to see how easy the application process has been, what the maintenance and moving out services are like from previous reviewers. Consider-Rate aims to fill in these grey areas”

Consider-Rate offers a unique two way feedback system helping tenants and lettings agents make sound judgements based on the reviews given, tenants build up a whole online digital CV of their previous rental history that they can demonstrate they are responsible and reliable to prospective future landlords/letting agents and, in the lettings agents/landlords case, by using Consider-rate they can demonstration the service they are providing to tenants is to an acceptable standard.

Tim, added: “Consider-Rate has proved a successful tool in transforming the relationships between letting agents and tenants. Each party are invited to rate the other and both parties can have a fair chance to respond to the reviews”

For more information, please visit https://consider-rate.co.uk/

Consider-Rate is represented by Poppy-PR, please direct all press enquiries to Tina Clough on 07581015325. Email: poppyprteam@gmail.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Poppy-PR .