An East Devon lettings consultant has promised to raise the standards of rented homes, in his new capacity as president of the main professional body for landlords.
An East Devon lettings consultant has promised to raise the standards of rented homes, in his new capacity as president of the main professional body for landlords.
Phil Keddie of Exmouth-based Sunshine is the first person from the South West to be appointed president of ARLA Propertymark. He will hold the post for a year, after being inaugurated at ARLA's AGM in London last month.
Mr Keddie, who has 37 years' experience in the local property industry, said one of his goals is to hold landlords to high standards, and increase public trust in them.
"My remit for taking the role is to bring greater public trust to the marketplace, and encourage agents and landlords to offer a higher and better service, that protects both landlords and tenants," he said.
"In parallel with this, I want to help raise the living standards in the rented properties, make landlords aware of their responsibilities and guide local authorities to be able to properly enforce the plethora of regulation that surrounds the private rented sector."
Mr Keddie also wants to raise the profile of ARLA Propertymark, and increase membership numbers. ARLA provides its members with regular updates on the laws relating to housing and tenancies, and also offers training and qualifications. Mr Keddie would like to see more landlords in the south-west commiting themselves to ARLA's high standards and benefiting from its guidance.
"My goal is to help local ARLA Propertymark agents to become the go-to agents of choice, and to remain compliant in this rapidly-changing rental market," he said. "Agent and landlord regulation is evolving and it is essential to have access to up-to-date information, and be aware of the penalties for ignoring these new requirements.
He will also be able to represent Devon landlords in his influential new role: "I can obviously assimilate views locally, and represent them to a wider national audience if applicable".
ARLA Propertymark is the UK's foremost professional and regulatory body for letting agents. Its members operate to higher standards than the law demands, and ARLA campaigns for greater regulation in this sector of the property market.
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