Thousands of landlords offered property license checking service
Kamma and the NRLA have inked a deal that will see thousands of landlords offered online updates and research about local HMO and selective licensing schemes.
Landlords can now check online to see if their properties need licensing under local council rules following a deal signed between the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) and proptech firm Kamma.
Its platform offers users instant and accurate online property licensing information and to date has been used mainly by letting agents.
But its service will now be available to landlords direct if they are a member of the NRLA.
The trade body’s partnership deal with Kamma means the NRLA’s advice line team can conduct a postcode search via its new search engine to tell landlords whether there are particular licensing requirements in their area.
Also, Kamma’s licensing application service will significantly reduce the amount of time NRLA members typically spend gathering information and background for local authority licence applications.
More licensing
The demand for services like this among agents and landlords is growing – each year dozens of local authorities launch new selective and HMO licensing schemes, often covering thousands of rented properties in one go.
Penalties for non-compliance can be severe. As well as fines averaging nearly £4,000 per transgression, if an HMO is not licenced properly then tenants can claim back their rent for up to 12 months via a Property Tribunal.
Kamma CEO, Orla Shields (pictured) commented: “We know from experience that the complexity of local regulations can often be a barrier to compliance. “By partnering with the NRLA we’re able to provide immediate answers to member questions through the NRLA advice line and continuous monitoring of their properties through the Kamma Licensing 365 platform.
“We know that a significant proportion of non-compliance is due to the difficulty of well-intentioned landlords not knowing what laws apply to their local area.
“Kamma’s partnership with the NRLA can help more landlords comply with local regulations and help make sure council enforcement resources are focused on the real rogue landlords that damage both the reputation of the sector and tenant welfare.”
Earlier this year the proptech firm signed up Purplebricks to use its service.
