Landlords Wanted
Warwickshire based National Federation of Property Professionals (NFOPP) has teamed up with Warwickshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service, to deliver clear and consistent business advice to the UK’s property industry, cutting red tape and helping businesses grow.
Organisations representing small and medium sized businesses, can now build a ‘co-ordinated partnership’ with their local Trading Standards Service, to ensure that all the firms they represent, where ever they are based, receive the same advice and guidance. From now on, any Estate Agent or Residential Letting Agent that is a member of the NFOPP (over 4.500) will be able to seek advice on trading laws direct from the NFOPP who will in turn obtain expert guidance from Warwickshire Trading Standards – a simpler and more efficient business advice model. These smaller businesses will no longer need to contact their own local Trading Standards Service on an individual basis, reducing inconsistency of advice and enforcement.
National and multinational businesses with retail outlets across the UK are already able to benefit from an advisory relationship with a single Trading Standards Service. This relationship helps ensure that inspection, advice and enforcement is consistent across the business’s entire organisation. Now smaller businesses, will, through their professional organisations, be able to access the same consistency of legal interpretation and advice as large companies already do.
Warwickshire County Councillor Les Caborn, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety said:
“I am delighted that we have established our first Primary Authority co-ordinated Partnership with the NFOPP.” “Good regulation via assured advice removes red tape and inconsistency for small businesses, which is what businesses need as they seek to grow in the current financial climate.” “This new partnership will now mean that many more small businesses will have access to the same the clear and consistent advice, wherever they are based in the Country.”
A representative of the NFOPP added:
The NFOPP incorporating the ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents) and the NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) “very much welcome this strengthened relationship with Warwickshire County Council and view this as a huge benefit for those of our members who wish to avail themselves of the service.” “We have long had concerns about the potential and actual varied interpretation of regulations by Trading Standards across the country. Now we have the opportunity to eradicate that for the benefit of both our members and the consumers.”
Graham Russell, Chief Executive, Better Regulation Delivery Office further added:
“The changes of October 1st 2013 bring the benefits of Primary Authority and better regulation to the businesses that most need them – the small operators.” “The expansion of Primary Authority, and its extension to include new areas of regulation, has been given a strong early endorsement with the enthusiastic take up by major trade organisations and business groups (representing more than 30,000 small businesses).” “Shared approaches to compliance, typically coordinated by a business’ trade association or its franchisor, enable many smaller businesses to benefit from the same advantages that larger operations are already gaining from Primary Authority.” “As local authorities take this forward there will be many opportunities to see the benefits that local professional services can bring extended to more SME’s, providing local growth in employment and prosperity.”
Source: NAEA.