UnderTheDoormat Pilots World-Leading Accreditation Scheme

The STAA Accreditation Scheme – which will launch in autumn 2018 – is the first of its kind anywhere in the world.

Standing behind the scheme is industry-led body the Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA), which was established in March 2017. Merilee Karr, chairwoman of STAA and CEO of UnderTheDoormat, said: ‘STAA was founded with a clear purpose: to encourage cooperation between organisations and hosts within the industry and tackle common challenges. By pooling our collective talents we can drive higher professional standards and provide better-managed short-term lets. We have made great strides over the past year and the launch of the accreditation scheme is an important step for the industry across the UK – we’re very excited about it.’

Among the challenges STAA seeks to combat are some common misconceptions about the short-term accommodation industry: from concerns about whether health and safety standards are consistently met, to the impact on neighbours and press stories of the rare occasions where something goes wrong.

The accreditation scheme is powered by Quality in Tourism, a leading name in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry which has overseen Visit England’s accreditation scheme. The STAA programme has been adapted from a traditional best practice model to suit this young, fast-growing industry – and will ensure that the highest standards are being met across the board.

‘It’s an extremely promising development,’ Karr continued. ‘As an industry, we want to be self-regulating. We already know that high standards are already being achieved as a matter of routine in many areas, but accreditation enables us to set and adhere to benchmarks in a more formal way and to have them independently assessed. We want all consumers to feel safe in the knowledge that they will be receiving an outstanding product and service, and this scheme – the first of its type across the globe – will offer that confidence, whilst positioning the UK as a world-leader in short-term home rentals.’

More impressive still, perhaps, is the fact that a number of prominent brands – from Airbnb to onefinestay and UnderTheDoormat – have come together to proactively support STAA. Several companies have already adopted STAA’s voluntary Code of Conduct, which sets out a range of measures designed to maintain health and safety standards and boost consumer protection.

We want all consumers to feel safe in the knowledge that they will be receiving an outstanding product and service, and this scheme – the first of its type across the globe – will offer that confidence, whilst positioning the UK as a world-leader in short-term home rentals. – Merilee Karr, Chairwoman of STAA and CEO of UnderTheDoormat

Moreover, whilst consumer confidence is a main priority, STAA is also dedicated to supporting the wider community, encouraging hosts to facilitate residential amenity and local business growth as a matter of course. When speaking to the _Evening Standard for their recent article on the scheme, _a spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government praised the scope of STAA’s commitment: “Short-term lettings support tourism and enable households to boost their income, but we are clear they should not have a negative impact on the wider communities. We welcome the work that the STAA are doing to drive up standards and promote best practice.”

The short-term accommodation industry may be young, but it’s now worth billions to the UK economy; as such it’s more important than ever that standards are consistently delivered. With this in mind, UnderTheDoormat are proud to have been the first to pilot the accreditation scheme.

‘It’s important for guests to be able to distinguish between the various organisations and hosts offering short-term home rentals – and it’s also important for homeowners’, said Richard Bridger, UnderTheDoormat’s Chief Marketing Officer. ‘With attractive additional earnings up for grabs via short-term home rentals (an
estimated £4.5bn a year in London alone

), homeowners need a way of identifying the organisations they can trust their homes with. UnderTheDoormat are dedicated to providing an exceptional service to both parties – an authentic, premium stay for visitors and a source of effortless income to homeowners – so we’ve really valued the chance to receive official recognition of the outstanding quality we promote.’

A further two companies will pilot the scheme ahead of its official launch in autumn. ‘All hosts and organisations are warmly invited to apply for accreditation,’ Merilee Kerr concluded. ‘There are so many benefits to doing so: it offers hosts and companies valuable recognition for the high standards that they maintain; it’s a powerful marketing tool for individual hosts; and, most importantly, it allows travellers, homeowners, neighbours, local businesses and the government to feel confident in the professionalism of our industry.’