The Consortium behind the Codes
A Consortium involving the Accreditation Network (ANUK), the National Union of Students (NUS) and Unipol Student Homes came together in the mid-2000s with the purpose of achieving the following objectives in relation to larger student developments:
To:
- set a number of specific standards with particular relevance to developments tenanted by students which are achievable without significant expenditure of time and money
- enable owners and tenants to agree a set of undertakings about how they wish to do business with one another in an open and accountable manner
- ensure a balance of common sense obligations and responsibilities between owners and tenants
- operate an assessment and verification system and ensure that those volunteering to meet the standards do so
- maintain a simple, inclusive, transparent, rapid and publicised complaints and tribunal system
- allow buildings belonging to the Codes to be ‘badged’ as meeting a given set of benchmark standards by the use of an approved wording and logo.
Just to be clear, the Codes are genuinely independent of specific business interests.
The NUS serves the interests of students and their students’ unions which operate alongside, but independently of, education institutions across the country. The NUS provides research, representation, training and expert advice for individual students and students’ unions. It has no affiliation to any commercial student accommodation providers. As well as being a key stakeholder in the Codes, the NUS plays an important part in their governance.
Unipol Student Homes is a voluntary organisation instrumental in setting up and running the Codes. It is a charitable, not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Established by the University of Leeds and Leeds Polytechnic (now Leeds Metropolitan University) and their respective students’ unions in 1973, it has evolved over the decades since to become an accommodation developer, provider, manager, trainer, lobbyist, policy informer, market influence and voluntary standards setter with national renown and clout. It currently has offices in Leeds Bradford and Nottingham and undertakes training in Leeds and London
ANUK was formed in May 2002 to publicise, promote and share good practice in the accreditation of housing providers. The Network enjoys, and relies on, the support of a wide range of private rented sector stakeholders, local authorities and central Government. ANUK is administered by Unipol Student Homes from its Leeds base.
Other supporters of the Codes
The ANUK/Unipol National Codes are also actively supported by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), the Welsh assembly, the Association for Student Residential Accommodation (ASRA), the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Officers (CIEH), the Association of College and University Business Officers (CUBO), Universities UK (UUK).
The Codes secretariat is based in Leeds. Click here for a role description of the National Codes Administrator (NCA).
The history of the Codes
The Codes were developed in response to concerns raised by a number of organisations, including NUS, about management standards within the expanding new sector of privately owned and managed student accommodation.
Following some initial discussions in 2002, ANUK, NUS and Unipol formed a consortium in 2004 and began to devise a Code for private sector accommodation providers. Discussions were held with a number of private providers, some of whom agreed to become founding members of the Code. These were: Liberty Living; Opal; Unite and Victoria Hall
Meetings were also held with other interested stakeholders, such as ASRA and CUBO, who suggested developing a Code for accommodation managed by universities and colleges as well.
The Codes were formally launched in November 2004, at an event hosted by Universities UK, and the first membership year began in 2005 – with around 50,000 bed spaces covered.
During the passage of what became the 2004 Housing Act, Government expressed some interest in recognising Codes of Practice/Standards within the scope of this legislation. It therefore awarded ‘Approved’ status to both of the ANUK/Unipol Codes in 2006 (and did the same for the Code operated by Universities UK).
By 2007 it had become clear that the ANUK/Unipol Code for Educational Establishments was in need of some revision in order to better reflect the standards that managers of University and College accommodation were aspiring to. A review was carried out and a revised Code received Government approval in August 2008.
A review of the ANUK/Unipol Code for Non Educational Establishments was launched in 2010 and a revised version will shortly be presented to Government for approval in the autumn of 2011.
A review of the ANUK/Unipol Code for Educational Establishments is currently on-going, with a final version likely to be decided on by the middle of 2013.
Click here for further, detailed information on the constitutional and governance arrangements for the Codes.
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