The Midlands Landlord Accreditation Scheme recognises reputable landlords/agents who provide their tenants with high quality and safe accommodation. Using an MLAS landlord should provide you with a positive experience of letting a property
Before we will accredit a landlord, they must attend a one-day seminar to learn about best practice for landlords, housing legislation, and what is expected of them. They must also sign a legal declaration to say they are a ‘fit and proper person‘ to be a landlord. Finally, they must sign a code of conduct that commits them to:
- Act in a fair and reasonable way and to respect the rights of tenants to peaceful and quiet enjoyment of the property
- Give tenants 24 hours‘ notice when access to the property is required
- Provide tenants with a tenancy agreement, inventory, details of how the deposit will be managed, and contact information for the landlord
- Not harass tenants
- Ensure all accommodation is in a reasonable state of repair and has adequate fire safety amenities
- Attend to repairs and defects promptly
You can download the full code of conduct and statement of a ‘fit and proper person‘ by clicking here (this also includes the agent accreditation policy which details additional standards agents must meet). You can also see a list of accredited landlords, including their unique accreditation number, by clicking here and a list of accredited agents by clicking here. These lists also show landlords/agents who have had their accreditation removed or who are suspended.
Whilst we hope that all this safeguards your experience of letting from a MLAS landlord/agent, sometimes things do go wrong. If you think your landlord (or agency) has not abided by our code of conduct, get in touch with them - keep a record in writing of all action taken and use recorded delivery to ensure you have proof that they received your letters. If you are a student, you should also get in touch with your Union/Guild or University Accommodation office first. All other private tenants should approach their Local Authority or the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).
If you cannot resolve the issue with your landlord directly, you have a right to complain to us.
Please send us your complaint in writing (preferably by email - see "Contact Details"), including as much documentary evidence as you can. You need to tell us the address of the property, where the code has been breached, the timescale involved, a contact address, email address and telephone number for the person making the complaint, your landlord‘s name and address, and any other relevant information. If we think the landlord has broken the law or is endangering your health and safety, we will send your complaint on to another agency.
We will contact the landlord and hopefully the complaint can be resolved at this stage, However, if the landlord does not take adequate steps to address your complaint, and we decide your complaint is valid, we will decide what further action should be taken. This could include the landlord being suspended from the Scheme until works are carried out, the landlord undertaking further training, or (if the landlord does not rectify the situation), the landlord having his/her accreditation withdrawn permanently. Landlords/agents who have had their accreditation withdrawn are shown on the landlord list/agent list.
We will inform you of the outcome of your complaint. However, please note that because MLAS is a voluntary scheme, we have no legal powers to make landlords take a particular course of action. If you do think that your landlord has broken the law, contact your local Council for advice (or if you are a student, your University/Guild/Union may be able to help you).
It may also be useful for you to be aware of your rights as a tenant - for example, landlords must put your deposits in a recognised deposit scheme, and will have to pay you back three times your deposit if they fail to do so. If your house has three or more floors and houses five or more people who share bathrooms/kitchen (not all one household/family), it may well need a licence - have you seen it? Have you seen your landlord‘s gas and electric certificates? Visit the Shelter website to find out more (details in the "Links").
