Making a House a Home in the Private Rented Sector
FUNDED PROJECT
A project led by the University of Stirling to support evidence-based practice in the management of private rented housing, with a particular focus on the positive role landlords and letting agents can play in helping their tenants create a home and sustain their tenancy in more general terms. Funded by the SafeDeposits Scotland Charitable Trust.
Access the outputs from this project here.
Review of Letting Agent Professionalisation
With funding from the SafeDeposits Scotland Charitable Trust, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) appointed an independent research consultancy to engage with agents, landlords, housing professionals, academics and tenants in carrying out a review of existing qualification and training requirements for letting agencies in Scotland, with an aim of assessing these requirements over the previous three years to determine if and where they had improved housing management practice and customer service.
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FUNDED PROJECT
Are you a member of a professional or regulatory body?
Several professional bodies exist to regulate letting agents and encourage best practice. Each body requires a standard of practice, and you can find out more information on the regulatory bodies, the benefits that each can offer and how you can become a member using the below links:
Client Money Protection
Letting agents are not required to be a member of a professional or regulatory body, but they must have Client Money Protection.
Client Money Protection reimburses both the landlord and the tenants if an agent goes bust or misuses client money. Client money can include rents, deposits and funds for maintenance work.
Letting agents can gain Client Money Protection via MoneyShield, a Client Money Protection (CMP) scheme, available to all UK lettings and estate agents. It offers a straight-forward and cost-effective CMP solution, allowing agents to secure robust protection for their clients without membership of a professional body.
Learn more about the benefits of MoneyShield and how to join here.
Tenancy Deposits
All landlords are required to protect a deposit taken for a private residential tenancy.
SafeDeposits Scotland provides Government approved tenancy deposit protection to help you meet your legal requirement.
Visit the SafeDeposits Scotland website for further information.
Switching to SafeDeposits Scotland
If you do not currently utilise SafeDeposits Scotland for your deposit protection, a dedicated team can assist with a seamless switching process. Find out more about the benefits of switching to SafeDeposits Scotland here.
Inventories, Check-ins and Check Outs
Advice from SafeDeposits Scotland on how to approach inventories.
