Qualified support for London Rental Standard

There has been a mixed reaction to the agent and landlord accreditation scheme, the London Rental Standard, announced by Boris Johnson and the Greater London Authority.

To gain accreditation, agents and landlords must attend a one-day course to learn, sign a code of practice and declare they are a fit and proper person. If they subsequently fail to comply, tenants can report them which could lead to them losing this accreditation.

• Although it's important to get behind any scheme, this is only likely to be successful should a sufficient number of landlords and agents commit to it. Without forcing all to take part, there may be a large portion of the market that simply won't get involved, warns David Butler, director of research at Rentonomy.com. He says incentives must be offered to agents and landlords to secure accreditation, and advocates discounts on deposit schemes and insurance policies as possible examples.

• Improving the rental offer is vital to the economy. The Mayor wants to create a new solution for Londoners living in private rented, giving them clearer information on rent agreements and the guarantee of an accessible landlord, explains Derek Gorman, chief executive of Get Living London, the management firm behind the Olympic East Village.

• It's a step forward but it doesn't go far enough to improve electrical safety. Research indicates PRS tenants are more likely to be at risk of electric shock than owner-occupiers, or those in social housing, the lack of specificity in relation to electrical safety is regrettable, says Phil Buckle, director general of Electrical Safety First.

• "We hope that the voluntary nature of the scheme will not undermine its impact," Chartered Institute of Housing chief executive Grainia Long says. "Much work will need to be done to ensure it is not simply ignored by the worst offenders."

• "He [Mayor Johnson] should have been lobbying for legislation to create longer tenancies, caps on annual rent rises and a ban on lettings agents' fees for tenants. Instead, he has wasted two years consulting on a voluntary standard that is not worth the papers it's written on," claims Labour Party London Assembly member Tom Copley.

• Shelter's comments include: We support the Mayor's London Rental Standard. The proposals should be strengthened. We strongly support the commitment to work with the industry to pilot a more stable form of renting contract. The Mayor is right to emphasise that new homes built for private renting should offer families stability and affordability.