LANDLORDS CELEBRATE A DECADE OF PLAIN ENGLISH
The Residential Landlords Association is marking a decade of document approval from the Plain English Campaign.
The leading association for private sector landlords has just received formal support for the latest batch of simplified tenancy documents – 10 years after breaking new ground with its first ‘plain English’ assured shorthold tenancy agreement back in 2000.
Now the Plain English Campaign has also approved a raft of similar documents including a company let, lodger’s agreement and owner/occupier agreements. It’s part of the RLA’s commitment to stripping away legal jargon in favour of clearly understandable language.
“Tenancy agreements are key documents for both tenants and landlords – yet there are still people who don’t use them,” says RLA chairman Alan Ward.
“There may have been an excuse, in days gone by, when such agreements were cumbersome legal documents that few people understood. But now the use of plain English can help everyone to understand the importance of a clear agreement to safeguard their best interests.”
The Residential Landlords Association showed the way with a pioneering belief in encouraging simple language. The original assured shorthold tenancy agreement was praised by the Plain English Campaign who made it the first such document to receive the prestigious Crystal Mark for clarity.
Since then, a series of jargon-free documents has been regularly updated by specialist lawyers, in line with guidance from the Office of Fair Trading, to meet ‘unfair contract terms’ regulations.
The latest revised documents - now available to download from the Residential Landlords Association website www.rla.org.uk/ast - can be completed and saved on computer for printing and e-mailing. They are free for members and carry a nominal charge for non-members.