The Mayor of London has launched a standard for private renting across London.

Covering landlords and letting agents, the London Rental Standard incorporates all of the main industry schemes.

The mayor, Boris Johnson, claims the standard will trigger a “massive increase” in accreditation and standards in the capital.

Accredited members of existing schemes will be passported into the London Rental Standard over the next six months or so.

The mayor believes the London Rental Standard will become “instantly recognisable” across London as a kitemark for quality. You can also pick letting agents that have signed up.

For landlords, the main accreditation bodies in London are London Landlord Accreditation Scheme and National Landlords Association. Other schemes include the Residential Landlords Association and the Southern Landlords Association.

For letting agents, the main bodies are the Association of Residential Letting Agents and the National Approved Lettings Scheme. The Property Ombudsman and Ombudsman Services also provide consumer redress services.