Easyroommate joins Mayor’s London Rental Standard campaign

London, U.K. (January 22, 2015) – EasyRoommate, the premiere flatshare and houseshare website, today announced that they will partner with the Mayor of London to support the London Rental Standard and promote accreditation across London’s rental properties. The Mayor of London launched the capital’s first ever rental standard, a city-wide badge of accreditation, last May (2014) to help millions of Londoners rent with confidence, and to give the city’s 300,000 landlords peace of mind that they understand their rights and responsibilities, and are complying with the law.

EasyRoommate continues to demonstrate its strong commitment to high ethical standards and will promote accreditation to its landlord customers. The objective is to support the Mayor of London in promoting higher standards within the private rental sector. The Mayor’s ambition is to increase the standard of living for tenants and help good landlords gain recognition across London.

EasyRoommate CEO, Karim Goudiaby, said: “EasyRoommate is excited to work with the Mayor to raise public awareness of the London Rental Standard among landlords and help Londoners find safe rental homes. The safety of our users is our number one priority and we hope that by incentivising accreditation among our London landlords, both tenants and landlords will be better informed.”

To gain accreditation, landlords must sign up for a one-day course to learn about their legal rights and obligations, recommended best practice and what to do if something goes wrong. Following the course, applicants must sign a code of practice and a declaration that they are a ‘fit and proper person’, with no convictions for fraud or similar offences. The course must be taken once every five years to maintain accreditation. With the help of EasyRoommate, Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited, and mydeposits, the Mayor has set a target to accredit 100,000 landlords and agents by 2016.

Deputy Mayor for Housing and Land, Richard Blakeway, said: “With more than a quarter of London’s households living in rented homes, the London Rental Standard is driving up the quality of this vital sector and helping millions of Londoners rent with confidence. Partnering with the site is evidence that the London Rental Standard is gaining momentum and helping to improve the experience of everyone involved, from landlord to tenant.”

For additional details, the full London Rental Standard can be downloaded at: london.gov.uk/landlords.