Accreditation Schemes

Accreditation schemes are voluntary. They let landlords show they run their properties to legal standards and recognised good practice. In most cases, that means meeting a set of requirements and then being granted “accredited” status.

Local and central government, professional housing organisations, and landlord associations often recommend accreditation, especially where it helps raise management standards and improves confidence in the private rented sector.

Some form of accreditation operates across around two-thirds of the areas covered by local authorities in England. Schemes are run by landlord organisations and local authorities. Some student-focused schemes are run by universities, colleges, or related agencies.

Examples and national bodies

The Private Rented Sector Accreditation Scheme (PRSAS) operates in England: https://prsaccreditation.com/

The Accreditation Network UK (ANUK) is the national body that publicises, promotes, and shares good practice in accreditation. More detail is available here: https://www.anuk.org.uk/

How accreditation schemes operate

Most schemes sit in one of two broad models. Some use a mix of both.

Inspection and standards-based schemes (often council-backed)

These schemes assess standards by visiting properties (either all properties or a sample).

They typically:

• inspect the property (or a sample of properties)
• assess compliance with physical standards and management standards
• accredit the property, the landlord, or both (depending on the scheme)

Student-focused schemes are more likely to include physical inspection (often sampling), although some also include a training element.

Training and competency-based schemes (now more common)

These schemes typically accredit the landlord or agent through training and assessment, rather than (or before) a property inspection.

They typically:

• require training on legal duties and day-to-day management obligations
• include an assessment (for example, an online test or quiz, and sometimes a training day)
• award accreditation when the assessment is passed, sometimes followed by checks or a lighter-touch verification approach

These schemes have grown partly because inspections and wider verification can be expensive and time-consuming to run at scale.

Local variation

How a scheme works in practice varies by area, depending on local housing conditions, resources, and priorities.

ANUK core values

A credible accreditation scheme meets ANUK’s four core values.

Declaration

Accreditation is meant to create accountability. That starts with a voluntary declaration by the housing provider or manager to follow a defined set of processes, standards, or both. This declaration should be repeated regularly, typically every three to five years.

Verification

A scheme must verify that members are meeting the standards they have signed up to. To maintain confidence among consumers and landlords, verification should be conducted regularly and transparently, and a report should be produced. Where problems are found, the landlord should agree on an improvement plan. Whatever approach is used, it needs to be public, realistic, and achievable. A complaints system on its own is not enough.

Continuing improvement

Verification should not stop at “pass/fail” against a minimum standard. Continuous improvement is part of the purpose of accreditation: building on a baseline and recognising that management can always be improved.

Complaints

A proper complaints process should be simple, inclusive, transparent, quick, and well-publicised.

Membership benefits

Scheme operators may offer additional benefits to encourage landlords and agents to join. What is available depends on the operator’s resources.

Benefits can include:

• information and support (updates, guidance, templates, helplines)
• financial benefits (discounts on products and services)
• a more supportive, lighter-touch approach from local authorities
• possible discounts on licensing fees

In some cases, access to letting services run by local authorities, educational establishments, or related agencies may depend on membership of an accreditation scheme.

ANUK/Unipol Codes of Standards for larger student developments

Unipol Student Homes administers two government-approved national schemes. One covers student developments operated and managed by educational establishments, and the other covers private-sector developments.

HMOs owned by educational establishments that are members of the Educational Establishment Code are exempt from HMO licensing where they would otherwise be licensable.

Licensable HMOs that are members of the private sector Code are not exempt from HMO licensing. However, the government’s Department of Communities & Local Government advises local authorities to discount HMO licence fees for Code members.

More details are available at The National Code: https://www.nationalcode.org/

UUK Code of Practice

Universities UK (UUK) administers one government-approved national scheme for buildings controlled and managed by educational establishments. This Code has the same purpose as the Codes described above. https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/