Property Accreditation

Property Accreditation

Our Studentpad website is the only place to find independently accredited and University Approved accommodation in Loughborough.

All accommodation listed complies with the latest health and safety legislation and government regulations for rental properties.

Landlords advertising on this site have been accredited by DASH Landlord Accreditation or comply with the ANUK code, and comply with the licencing requirements of Charnwood Borough Council. All properties have been inspected by Loughborough University Student Accommodation Centre to ensure they offer good and safe housing.

DASH Landlord Accreditation

The aim of DASH Landlord Accreditation is to encourage and promote good property standards and management practices in the private rented sector.

DASH accreditation offers people working in the private rented sector the opportunity to gain a quality mark in recognition for the good work that they do.

DASH accreditation identifies a landlord as one who has attained certain standards and commits to upholding a code of conduct (the DASH scheme manual). (Please note DASH does not accredit companies or agencies) 

A percentage of a landlord’s rented properties are checked to ensure they meet the scheme requirements and where necessary a landlord is given time to address any issues found.

Tenants benefit from the reassurance that a DASH accredited landlord has been educated and shown what a safe and decent property should look like.

Accreditation offers the private rented sector a means of ‘self regulation’; that is to say DASH accreditation services is not an enforcement body. DASH’s success comes from working in partnership with a range of other partners to help raise housing standards.

https://www.dashservices.org.uk/

ANUK

ANUK Codes was developed in response to concerns raised by a number of organisations, including NUS, about management standards within the expanding new sector of privately owned and managed student accommodation.

Members of the Codes voluntarily agree to comply with good practice standards that relate to both the physical condition of a building as well as its day to day management. They also agree to be vetted to check they are meeting the standards.

This means that, amongst other things, students living within a building covered by the Codes can expect:

• Buildings that meet or exceed fire safety requirements
• Managers of buildings to act in a professional and courteous manner at all times
• Managers are trained in mental health awareness
• Repairs to be completed within agreed timescales
• Complaints are handled professionally, with external input from the National Codes if they cannot be resolved.

Students staying in ANUK compliant purpose built student accommodation can feel reassured that the property  is safe and well managed; and that, should any problems arise, there exists a mechanism to help get them resolved.

https://www.anuk.org.uk/

Charnwood Borough Council

There are three private sector housing licensing schemes in Charnwood. 

The schemes include a mandatory and an additional scheme for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and a selective scheme for privately rented properties in the Lemyngton and Hastings wards in Loughborough.

Landlords will need a licence if they own and let out a property which either:

• meets the definition of being a house in multiple occupation (HMO) anywhere in the borough of Charnwood.
• is a privately rented property located in the Hastings or Lemyngton wards in Loughborough. You can view maps of the wards here https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/public_notice_designation_of_an_area_of_selective_licensing

Additional licence applies to properties all Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) occupied by three or four persons and to certain buildings converted into self-contained flats (known as ‘Section 257’ HMOs).

Mandatory HMO licensing is a nationwide scheme has been in force since 2006 and will continue indefinitely. It applies to HMOs that have five or more occupiers.

https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/hmo_licensing

Selective licensing applies to privately rented properties within a specific area in Loughborough (Hastings and Lemyngton Ward) and are occupied by a single household, a single person, or two unrelated people.

https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/selective_licensing

University Property Inspections

The team at the Loughborough University Student Accommodation Centre conduct in person inspection of all properties that are listed on Studentpad to ensure that the advertisements accurately reflect the quality of properties being listed.  Inspections are repeated every 2-3 years to ensure properties are being maintained and manged appropriately.

The facilities and the certification are verified, and checks are made to ensure compliance with health and safety legislation.

All amendments made to Landlord adverts are approved by University staff and Landlords are encouraged to update their adverts to keep information current.

Benefits of Accredited Landlords

With over 160 different pieces of legislation that Landlords need to comply with, it is important that Landlords keep up to date with changes to standards and stay informed with the latest thinking in the sector.

Landlords who are accredited through schemes such as DASH and ANUK need to complete certain amounts of continuous personal development through training schemes to keep their accreditation up to date. They will be invited to landlord update events and notified of changes to legislation.

Accreditation is voluntary, but to become accredited takes investment of time and money. Landlords who have obtained this recognition highlight those Landlords who are striving to provide a good service to tenants.

(Space to add a Landlord video when produced)