Thumbs up for new accreditation code for student landlords

Press Release

Students arriving in Nottingham after August 1st can look forward to a better standard of accommodation thanks to a new code for local landlords.

The Unipol DASH code has been drawn up by the charity Unipol Student Homes with help from DASH (Decent and Safe Housing), an East Midlands initiative aimed at raising standards of housing.

Funded by Nottingham City Council, Nottingham University and the two student unions, Unipol Student Homes - nationally recognised experts in the student rental market - opened an accommodation bureau in Nottingham last August. Their brief was not only to provide a central online source for student accommodation vacancies in the private rented sector but also to develop a robust and effective new accreditation scheme.

As well as the usual issues of facilities and the fabric of buildings, the code also covers a variety of areas specific to student properties including fire safety, security, maintenance of outside areas and the management of complaints.

Nottingham City Council’s Deputy Leader Councillor Graham Chapman said: “The arrival of Unipol in Nottingham and the development of the new Unipol DASH code, as a result of Council funding, are major steps forward and show our commitment to improving standards in the city.

“Students make up a large proportion of the city’s population and we are keen, as with all our residents, that they have the best possible accommodation available and enjoy their stay in the Nottingham.

“Unipol have already registered more than 360 landlords covering a total of approximately 15,000 bed spaces. Given that the city in total has approximately 40,000 students, this is a significant proportion of the market and demonstrates the desire by good landlords for their efforts to be recognised, as well as being an indication of the progress made over the last year.”

Nottingham Accommodation Bureau Accreditation Officer, Faye Powell, said: “Nottingham is a major university city and home to two of the UK’s best universities. However, the standard of accommodation available in the private sector for students who choose Nottingham has not always been all that it could be. The new code, which has been drawn up following six months of consultation with landlords, local residents, students unions, the emergency services and both universities, aims to ‘raise the bar’ for landlords and reward those who join the scheme. The partnership Unipol has with Nottingham City Council, Nottingham University and the students unions at both universities puts us in a unique position to promote the scheme.

“We already have had a good deal of success in raising awareness of accreditation, with more than 92% of locally-based students acknowledging its importance in a recent survey. So when landlords sign up to this scheme, they will gain real market advantage and genuine ‘added value,’ whilst those who choose not to will find it increasingly difficult to let their properties.”

More information about the Unipol DASH code and Unipol Student Homes can be found here or by calling 0115 846 8599.

For further details or to arrange a photograph, contact the Nottingham Accommodation Bureau Accreditation Officer Faye Powell on 0115 846 8599 or f.powell@unipol.org.uk or Nottingham City Council’s Student Strategy Manager Mike Cole on 0115 915 6794 or mike.cole@nottinghamcity.gov.uk