About Rent with Confidence

Who are we?

The City of Wolverhampton Council is pioneering the way local authorities work with private landlords through its five-star rating system to improve the quality of Private Rented Sector (PRS) housing. This is above and beyond the statutory legal minimum requirement.

The Rent with Confidence (RwC) star rating system came into effect in April 2016 and aims to encourage greater customer choice and raise living standards.

It works in a similar way to the rating scheme used by the Food Standards Agency for restaurants and takeaways.

Stars are awarded to landlords who comply with the law and who rent out property above the minimum statutory standards, with financial incentives for five-star landlords.

RwC enables tenants to choose their property and landlord through the RwC portal. The properties will have been checked and approved by the council RwC team as meeting the relevant star rating standards.

RwC aims to work with tenants, landlords and agents collectively to raise housing standards besides continuing to target rogue landlords that put their tenants at risk.

The RwC website provides detailed information about the scheme and will enable landlords and agents to register their property and tenants to register their interest and choose a suitable property.

An Environmental Health Officer or a Housing Standard Officer will inspect the property before a star rating is confirmed and, if appropriate, will provide advice on works that may be required to achieve a higher rating. In some cases, a property may not meet the minimum legal requirement, and the officers will work with the landlord and agent to help them achieve an acceptable star rating for the property.

The Landlord Liaison Officers are the first point of contact for information and advice about the scheme and assist in the rating process.