General (main property discussion here) - Which landlord association

I'm thinking of joining a landlord association. Which one do people recommend (RLA, NLA, NFRL)? Any andvise on which is the best one to go with would be great.

Where do you live/have property?If you are in the South East,you could try the Southern Landlords Assoc.They have regular meetings events in their area which are very helpful and focused to that area.If you are interested post here again,and I will post their web address.

I'm leaning towards RLA, mainly as I bumped into the Vice-Chair at the Northeast Regional Landlords Conference this weekend. His main point to me is that their main office is not far from House of Commons, so they can pester the &&*!~##%? who make all the rules to make our lives difficult.

I would suggest checking what discounts they have negotiated with trades and suppliers that are relevant (i.e. local) to you.

i too have met rla at property shows. seem good people. i havent joined any though as wasnt 100% convinced on value it would provide me with. horses for courses i reckon though.

tom

As a Landlord (and an agent) I have joined the RLA and the South West Landlords Association. Perhaps you could consider both the RLA and a local association, particularly since the locals will be able to help with LHA and HMO relations.

Regards

Lyndon Baker Managing Director BakerReed Properties Limited BakerReed Properties Limited is a firm accredited by the National Approved Letting Scheme - a Government backed accreditation scheme which offers peace of mind to landlords and tenants through the knowledge that the firm they are dealing with offers clearly defined levels of customer service. Member of The Guild of Letting and Management Member of The Residential Landlords Association Member of The UK Association of Letting Agents Member of The South West Landlords Association lyndon@brpl.co.uk http://www.brpl.co.uk

Think of it this way: Most landlord assocs charge £60-75 per year. They usually offer discounts on various things, typically Jewsons or insurance or tradespeople (CP12 anyone? 16th edition NICEIC cert?). I joined my local assoc recently and I can get up to £80 off insurance. Membership fee paid for. They also do meetings at which you can usually get info/seminars on regulations; heck, even just meet people and share stories/recommendations.

Hi - I would recommend NLA - they have more members overall and they have people seconded to the government lobbying them on housing issues.

Both NLA and RLA offer discounts, help lines etc.

cheers Matthew

I am with the NLA. Have been for 3 years, I find them a good source for information, and at only £70.00 per year it is not bad.

NLA.

Membership fee more than met by their discounts (insurance etc), advice, online forms, and telephone access. The membership fee, as with any association is of course tax deductible...

Regards, Malik

malik,

that is a good point on tax deductible. i have until now not realised that or just not looked into it.

cheers for the tip.

tom

I haven't ever bothered joining one. They all seem much of a muchness, very friendly, but of limited use in practical terms. What would you ask them, which you couldn't ask on a forum?

John

John

If nothing else the discount available for buildings insurance by being a member of NLA OR RLA more than covers the cost of membership. I am paying £1.30 / £100 of cover for buildings insurance arranged thro HFIS using discount for being a member of NLA.Prior I was paying £1.50/£100 with different insurer. This saved me alot of money .

Andy Whitfield

andy,

that is interesting - you are right you do not need a big portfolio to make the membership worth it.

i am heading to the invest in property show in london today. i suspect the landlord associations will be there so i will chat with them and report back.

tom

Tom,

Good on you. Thanks for that!

Regards, Malik

went to the show- very bizarre as so overseas offplan focused which is not my bag.

anyway, i met rla and was very impressed. £75 for the year. worth considering.

they do a lot of lobbying and provide discounts on things like insurance to members.

nla did not attend so i cannot comment.

hope that helps.

tom

Associations are for peace of mind in my opinion. Agree with John on this, they are probably of limited use but they are a listenting ear if nothing else.

(I have met both the RLA and he NLA and preferred the RLA) Jo

I too am an RLA member. As well as saving more than the cost of membership from buildings insurance discounts I'm due to attend one of the courses which teaches you all about tenancy agreements, reposession, etc. They've also given me some really useful advice over the telephone. Someone from another forum persuaded me to join and after being sceptical at first I now reckon it's £70 well spent. There are other associations. ARLA is an alternative association which fellow investors tell me is just as good.