Council to trail digital checks on agents

Nottingham city council is leading the trial of a new digital platform that checks if agents, landlords and properties are compliant.

Marks Out Of Tenancy created the platform, called Vault, a tenant-focussed service which until now has been known for encouraging reviews of agents and landlords by renters. The company has said that its service is being tested in "several major local authority areas" – but does not quote which, nor how many.

The service allows users to find out which agents and landlords are not compliant with national or local requirements, to locate unlicensed HMOs, to use tenant reviews when running 'fit and proper' landlord licence tests, and to access data on the local rental market.

One of Nottingham city council's housing managers, Paul Greevy, says: "The cumulative impacts over time - of statutes, accreditation and Licensing - are now augmented by what has the potential to be a TripAdvisor for the private rented sector. If you're letting private rented accommodation enjoy that 10 star review; for the one star landlord, time for a rethink because your local authority should be in touch."

Ben Yarrow, chief executive of Marks Out Of Tenancy, adds: "With the launch of this new digital service, local authorities have access to legally compliant, timely and accurate data enabling them to focus on enforcement action."