20 pubcos gain BII code accreditation

Twenty operators, which own 84% of the country's tenanted and leased pubs, have now had their codes of practice with tenants accredited for clarity.

Codes from seven operators are now fully accredited under the BIIBAS scheme, including, most recently, Enterprise Inns. The remaining 13 including, Scottish & Newcastle Pub Company, are accredited in principle.

The Business, Innovation & Skills Committee's (BISC) report from February said pubco codes must have the BIIBAS stamp by the end of June.

Bernard Brindley, deputy chairman of the Benchmarking Committee, told the Morning Advertiser: "By the initial deadline we did reach 84% of pubs. That's good news.

"We concentrated on the major pubcos. They have all been accredited now, either fully or in principle.

"We are in the process of contacting the remainder. Our objective is to get them done in the next couple of months."

He said around 54 companies in total need their codes accredited.

A spokesman for Enterprise said its code has been accreditation but it won't be published until the end of August at the earliest.

BII chief executive Neil Robertson is to write to BISC in November to update the Committee on the progress.

Pubcos have been told to submit their codes despite the fact updated guidance on rents from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) — which must be included in the codes — has not been released.

The guidance was due in late April or early May but the Morning Advertiser understands that it now won't be ready until the end of the year at the earliest.