Accreditation
We strongly advise all students to choose Accredited properties. This page is a guide for students on the benefits of the Accreditation Scheme. Landlords and others may wish to check out the Accreditation Scheme resource page, which contains the full specification of the Scheme.
As a student in Nottingham you are in the fortunate position of being in the area covered by the Greater Nottingham Student Accommodation Accreditation Scheme (it’s a bit of a mouthful, so we’ll refer to it simply as the Accreditation Scheme).
This page tells you some of what’s covered by the Accreditation Scheme, and why you should look for a house that’s Accredited.
We strongly recommend you to sign up to a property that is part of this Scheme.
Neither LetsUni nor our partner organisations endorse non-Accredited properties (except where they fall outside of the scope of the Accreditation Scheme – see the ‘Scope’ section below for further information).
Summary of Key Benefits
- Attention to safety, exceeding the legal minimum in many areas.
- Prompt return of deposits at the end of the tenancy.
- Details of any deductions made from the deposit will be given.
- Equal Opportunities in relation to letting the property.
- Public Liability Insurance must be in place on the property; you may be able to claim against this if, for example, you trip and hurt yourself in the property. (Note, that this is not the same thing as tenants’ contents insurance, so it will not usually cover your possessions against theft.)
- There are standards set relating to the minimum levels of amenities that must be provided with the property.
- The property should be in a habitable condition, free from any unacceptable health and safety risks.
- It should be in a good state of repair (including internal and external decorative repair) and have reasonably modern facilities and services at all times.
Please note that whilst the relevant paperwork (safety certificates, insurance documents etc) is checked every year, not every property is visited by inspectors every year, so a property can fall below desirable standards between inspections; if you feel this is the case with your accredited property, or an accredited property you are viewing, please let us know so we can arrange for it to be formally inspected sooner rather than later. This will help us to ensure that all Accredited properties are well maintained, and the Accreditation Scheme continues to represent a good standard of accommodation.
Safety First
One of the key areas the Accreditation Scheme focuses on is the safety of the accommodation.
- Safety certificates are checked, including Gas Safety Certificate and Electrical Periodic Inspection.
- Mains powered interlinked smoke alarms, which provide a much higher level of warning in case of fire, are fitted.
- Fire doors with door closing mechanisms are specified for some rooms.
- Fire extinguisher and fire blanket in kitchen.
Scope
The Accreditation Scheme is a thorough and reliable way of checking up that certain elements of a property are up to scratch, but there are limitations to the scheme.
The Accreditation Scheme was specifically designed to apply to shared student houses; this means that other types of accommodation are not included:
- Homestay
- Larger blocks (covered by a separate National Scheme)
Since properties in these categories are outside of the scope of the Accreditation Scheme, you should not infer any problems from the fact that they are not Accredited. However, where an alternative scheme exists (in particular the National Code of Standards for Larger Developments), we would advise you to look for properties that meet up to the standards of those schemes.
Full Specification
If you’re interested in finding out more, the full specification of the scheme is available - please click through to the Accreditation Scheme resource page.