Douglas & Gordon is happy to raise standards and be part of Mayor's London Rental Standard

Douglas and Gordon is happy to raise standards and be part of the Mayor's London Rental Standard.

The London Rental Standard, a city-wide badge of accreditation, aims at helping millions of Londoners rent with confidence and offers landlords and tenants peace of mind that they are complying with the law and offering a quality service.

Virginia Skilbeck, Lettings Director at Douglas and Gordon, described how the scheme benefits those who participate: "It works to preserve our reputation. We already complied as an ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents) licensed member so it was very straightforward to join up".

With the initiative aiming to raise standards across the rental sector, Skilbeck noted its importance in improving the credibility of agents in the current climate: "The industry is unfortunately tarnished by a small minority of landlords and agents that don't look after tenants in the right way, don't look after their properties in the right way and don't protect the tenant's deposits in the right way. At D&G we wish to drive up standards in the industry and tenants should expect a minimum level of service including transparent fees, properties maintained in good condition, quick response times for repairs and maintenance and protected deposits."

On the launch of the London Rental Standard, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “With more of London’s workforce and young families living in rented homes, this growing sector is vital to meeting this capital’s housing needs and must not be overlooked. This standard aims to improve the experience of everyone involved, from landlord to tenant, with a clear set of good practice rules.

We believe the London Rental Standard

• provides confidence for landlords and tenants alike
• protects tenants and landlords from rogue operators
• creates an industry standard – or kitemark - for members to uphold
• preserves the industry’s reputation, which could otherwise be threatened by unaccredited operators

For more information about the London Rental Standard please visit london.gov.uk/agents