Agents and landlords are being urged to learn how to prepare themselves for tenancy disputes by training in advance on one of a range of courses organised by the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS).

TDS has announced 20 new dates for its Academy course, which include both a foundation course and adjudication workshops, to be held in cities across the UK.

They will provide accredited Continued Professional Development (CPD) certification.

The foundation course is a full-day session on the key points of tenancy deposit protection and is designed for property managers, administrators, inventory suppliers and landlords.

It also covers legislation, tenancy agreements, check-in and check-out procedures, calculating damage, and whether disputes are appropriate or not.

Meanwhile, the adjudication workshop is a half-day course that teaches property professionals to “think like an adjudicator”.

It will focus on TDS’ Alternative Dispute Resolution service, discussing various scenarios and case studies.

Attendees will learn about the evidence an adjudicator looks for when making a decision on awarding a deposit, as well as receiving tips for presenting a case and resolving disputes.

Michael Morgan, TDS’ director of Dispute Resolution who hosts the Academy events, said: “As well as protecting tenancy deposits, TDS is committed to providing guidance and improving standards in the private rented sector.

“These courses will help landlords and agents around the country provide a higher quality service to their tenants and better protect their own investments.

“We often see cases where tenants raise the same arguments challenging the accuracy of check-in reports – claiming they never got one, never signed it, or that it did not show the property’s condition accurately.

“These are all issues that can be addressed in advance with good check-in and check-out procedures – and it’s not difficult to document that one has happened in the event of a dispute.

“Our courses are designed to help landlords and property managers to minimise the risk of a dispute arising by helping them create well-documented check-in and check-out reports, supported by good quality photographs.”

The 20 courses on offer and their locations are:

Foundation courses

April 4 — Durham
May 2 — London
June 6 — Cardiff
July 11 — Bristol
August 8 — London
September 5 — Birmingham
October 3 — Bournemouth
November 21 — Lincoln
February, 2019 — Liverpool
March, 2019 19 — Canterbury

Adjudication workshops

April 25 — Birmingham
May 30 — Canterbury
June 27 — Lincoln
July 25 — Bournemouth
August 22 — Durham
September 26 — London
October 24 — Liverpool
November 28 — Cardiff
February, 2019 — London
March, 2019 — Bristol

For more details, click here.