The Unipol Codes - Information for Housing Suppliers

If you are a student and want to know about the Codes click here.

Unipol runs four Codes in Leeds to give students and their parents confidence in renting from housing suppliers. Unipol, the students unions and the universities and colleges always recommend that wherever possible students should rent from a Code provider and they write to all students just before the house hunting season to tell them this.

90% of all complaints that Unipol receive about student housing come from the 30% of unaccredited landlords and it really is best for students to rent from a Code landlord.

For landlords, being a Code member shows that they meet a high standard and are professional housing suppliers and because students, parents and the institutions value this, they gain a market advantage by letting their properties ahead of non Code properties.

Being a member of the Codes also gives landlords a discount on fees if using the Unipol website to display their properties and all Code properties are displayed in blue or green, ahead of non Code properties.

Those who join the Codes have their membership displayed on open access and a list of existing members can be found here. Shared Student Housing and Larger Developments.

All the Codes aim to ensure that providers go substantially beyond their legal minimum requirements in providing good quality, safe and well managed housing for students. All the Codes have been developed in partnership with suppliers and have the approval of both universities and their students' unions. The educational institutions themselves are also members of the Codes and are independently accountable if their performance falls short (as is Unipol as a housing provider).

All the Codes have entry standards and suppliers are checked (or verified) to make sure they meet the standards they say they do.

All the Codes set minimum standards for:

• the physical condition of the building
• the way in which the building has to be managed
• maintaining customer satisfaction and dealing promptly with any repairs or problems.

All the Codes have a complaints system that can be used to resolve outstanding matters and, if the housing supplier is in breach of the Code, an independent Tribunal can remove them from the Code and make recommendations to statutory or other bodies. Wherever possible, disputes between landlords and tenants are referred back to the parties for resolution (and Unipol can help in this if required) and the vast majority of complaints are resolved without reference to the formal mechanisms that exist. The levels of complaints are relatively low because most suppliers who are in the Code resolve issues with their tenants between themselves.

All of the Codes have a common logo with different by-lines indicating which Code covers which type of property.

To find the Code you need to join click the link for each Code.

the Leeds based Code for shared student houses	the Code Supporter scheme for managing agents that are working towards full accreditation	the two national codes for larger student developments

All suppliers sign up to specific standards including:

• clearly written, reasonable contractual terms with no catches and no hidden costs, given in advance of signing
• a guarantee of no demands for deposits or rent before signing up
• a guaranteed opportunity to view properties
• a copy of all agreements to be supplied to tenants by the supplier
• accommodation facilities and furniture to meet a set standard of comfortable living and study needs
• a safe energy supply and safe accommodation
• undertaking repair work quickly and efficiently
• transparent procedures, notified in writing to tenants, for issuing receipts, for ending tenancies and for gaining access
• the supplier's commitment to courteous, professional dealings without racist, sexist or other prejudice
• a starred standard for a higher amenity level (see information about the starring system here)
• an accountable framework for dealing with complaints and resolving disputes

The Codes themselves can be accessed below so that you can see what these standards are in detail:

• a Leeds based Code for shared student houses
  
• a Code Supporter scheme for managing agents that are working towards full accreditation
  
• two national codes for larger student developments (15 bed spaces or more)
  

The Leeds Code for Shared Student Housing

A short video gives details about this Code

In order to join the Leeds Code, landlords and agents have to ensure that all of their properties and their management standards and procedures meet the standards in the Code. Whenever you see that the landlord or agent is a member of this Code, this means all of their properties are covered by the Code.

The names of existing members can be checked here.

There are a number of managing agents in Leeds who have full Code status, which means all their student houses meet the standards of the Code and their names can be found here. Unipol also has Supporter status for those agents working towards full Code membership (and details about that scheme can be found here).

In order to help students differentiate between Code properties there is a star rating system and one, three or five stars are awarded depending on amenity levels within the property. Find out more here. Stars are automatically awarded when properties are displayed on the website, but if you want to calculate you own star rating there is a ready reckoner for you to do this here. Students frequently look for properties by star rating, and expect to pay more for the prestigious five star rated properties.

How to Apply

Unipol are very keen to promote accreditation both to landlords and to students and students are strongly advised to give priority to Code landlords/agents when renting in Leeds.

If you want to join the Code then you should apply by making a declaration that all your properties meet the standards. The declaration form is an important document and membership of the Code is considered as beginning as soon as the form is signed, although the owner will not be listed as being in the Code until the verification process has taken place. Landlords and agents join the Code for three years.

If you wish to join the Unipol Code please complete the forms below and return them to the Unipol Offices. You will need to complete both the Code Declaration form and the Declaration of Properties form.

Download the Code Declaration form

To download the Declaration of Properties form click here.

Owner Occupiers

If you are an owner occupier then there is a separate Code of Standards that applies to you and your property. To download the Code of Standards for Owner Occupiers click here.

Verification

Last year (2011) Unipol inspected over 950 houses making sure that they met the standards (those that do not are reinspected to see that any necessary works or system have been completed properly or membership is refused).

Unipol will inspect (or verify) a sample of properties to ensure that your self-declaration is accurate and the following procedures will apply:

• all new applicants for membership of the Code will have at least one property inspected prior to the landlord being admitted, within 12 weeks of the application being made, on a ratio of 1 in 5 properties.
  
• in the case of agents a ratio of 1 in 5 properties belonging to each managed landlord is inspected, on the same timescales as above.
• if the inspection/s reveals any problems then a higher sample of properties is inspected and, in some cases, all proprieties are inspected
• inspections can also be trigged by any formal complaints.

Property inspections are carried out in a set format by trained staff and an inspection report is completed for each property. This report allows for recommendations to be made, including action plans that can be followed up. Membership may be recommended if work is required on an inspected property, depending on the severity of the non-compliance and the timescales agreed for the completion of any necessary work.

At the verification inspection suppliers must provide:

• a current gas safety certificate
• a current electrical periodic report
• an HMO license if the property meets the mandatory licensing criteria
• evidence that the fire alarm panel (if installed) is serviced on an annual basis
• evidence that any deposits taken from tenants have been protected under one of the three approved deposit protection schemes

If Unipol has to chase this documentation (and membership is not granted until it is seen and checked) then a charge applies to cover the administrative effort involved in this. Generally, it is easier to either have these documents at the verification visit or to bring them into Unipol where they can be checked while you wait.

Most inspections go well and the report received by the landlord/agent following the visit is generally regarded as helpful. An example of a completed verification report can be downloaded here. The verification process is intended to ensure either that suppliers meet the standards or can be helped to do so and the inspections are carried out in the spirit of voluntary compliance that underpins the Codes.

In respect of existing members covered by the Code, Unipol reinspects 1 in 5 properties (or at least 1 in the event that a portfolio was below 5) of existing Code owners on a three year cycle.

All matters relating to licensing are referred to LCC for considerations, and if Unipol comes across any properties (accredited or not) that it thinks should be licensable it will refer details to LCC for action.

Verification Timetable

The landlord is asked to provide a timetable for any work required in the first section of the report.

This timetable should be provided within 14 days. This is not to say that the work itself is to be completed in 14 days, merely an appropriate timetable provided. Clearly issues relating to matters such as fire safety should be addressed with more urgency than less risky matters.

Once a timetable is agreed, and the work completed, then dependent on the nature of the findings, a re-inspection may be required. During this very short re-inspection, the verifier will check to ensure that the required work has been completed to the expected standard.

If it is clear from the re-inspection visit that not all of the works have been completed, then a second re-inspection will be required and a fee of £75 will be charged to the landlord/agent for that.

To find out more about the verification process click here.

The Leeds Code Supporter Scheme

This category only applies to a managing agent. Individual landlords must join all their properties to be members of the Code.

This scheme is for managing agents that are working towards full accreditation but where all of their properties are not yet at Code standard. Supporter members sign a bilateral arrangement with Unipol, which is reviewed annually, that means that an increasing number of their properties meet the standards over an agreed period of time. A sample declaration form can be downloaded here.

Supporters who constantly meet their targets can then gain full membership. Membership is for three years.

Unipol and the educational institutions recognise that managing agents working towards becoming full members should be recognised as such and advice to students stresses that these agents should be given preference over agents which have not joined any scheme.

Managing agents who are Supporters join individual properties to the Code and these must be displayed by them. The properties joined are fully covered by the Code and all the standards apply and their tenants have access to the complains procedure.

Those properties being managed by agents that are not badged as Unipol Code do not fall under the Code, nor do "let only" properties and those let to non students.

Generally, for a managing agent to gain Supporter status Unipol has be convinced that this is a reasonable supplier with a fair proportion of their properties joining up to the Unipol Code.

Verification processes for Supporters are the same as under the main Unipol Code

Supporters are detailed in a dedicated area of the Unipol website for students to see. In addition we will create an extra information page, which can be accessed by clicking on a link next to your name. On this page you can display further information about your agency, including contact information.

Training and Information

As part of their commitment to the Code, Managing Agents must initially attend a one day (or two half day) seminar that explains about the Code, its content, the administrative procedures for declaration and verification and the advantages of joining with preferential marketing, plus an annual half day training module after that.

How to Apply to Join as a Supporter

Each application for Supporter status is dealt with individually and below you can download a variety of documents to let you know what is involved. Those interested in joining should talk to Nicola Brown on n.brown@unipol.org.uk or 0113 205 3410.

Managing agents who are Supporters do not need to use the Unipol website to join and currently the scheme is free of charge. If you are not using the website, then all Supporters must be Members of Unipol and pay a small fee for doing so annually. The current cost of membership for managing agents is £250.00 (ex VAT), which covers a calendar year. A 50% discount is offered to agents who sign up after September 1st for the remainder of that year.

Supporters also must provide Unipol with an annual list of all their student managed properties so that verification sampling can take place and Unipol can monitor that an increasing percentage of properties are being covered by the Code over time. In many cases where managing agents take on new properties, these have already been inspected through another agent so a list is also useful for Unipol to tell managing agents what has already been accredited. These lists contain sensitive information and are used under conditions of confidentiality by Unipol and are kept in paper based format (unless received electronically).

If you would like more information on how Unipol can help Managing Agents let their properties please see the section on marketing advice for Managing Agents

The National Codes for Larger Student Developments

These Codes are run in partnership with the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Accreditation Network UK (ANUK). There are two Codes:

• those where the building is controlled and managed by an educational institution
• those where the building is run by the private sector.

The National Codes have their own website where all the information and membership is available

A short video also outlines what the private providers Code is about.