Our Constitution
York RLA Constitution
1 NAME
The name of the Association shall be the York Residential Landlords Association hereinafter
referred to as "The Association" &/ or York RLA.
2 THE SCOPE
The Association shall represent and promote the interests of private residential landlords in the
Greater York area.
3 THE OBJECTIVES
In pursuing its objectives the Association will have particular regard to the following;
The Association will:
a encourage and help members to work to a Code of Practice approved and adopted by
the committee
b support all members by providing help and advice on maintaining & improving their
businesses
c co-operate with similar associations in other areas
d publicise the case for fair treatment of landlords
e pursue such policies as may from time to time become desirable and which are endorsed
by a general meeting of members
f raise funds to further the objectives and interests of the Association and its members.
4 MEMBERSHIP
4.1 Membership shall be open to:
a Landlords of residential property
b Managing Agents of residential property
c Those persons with an interest in residential property who are prospective
Landlords
d Individuals/Companies who support the objectives of the Association whether
private landlords or not.
4.2 Any application for membership will be subject to approval by the Committee and, upon
being accepted, members must pay the annual subscription and any enrolment fee from
time to time in force. The committee may, in their absolute discretion, suspend or
withdraw membership if any member fails to comply with the Rules of the Association or
any Code of Practice adopted by the Committee.
4.3 The Membership Year shall run from 1st January until 31st December in each year.
4.4 There shall be three categories of membership:
1. Individual -This person will be entitled to attend and will have one vote at General
Meetings of the Association.
2. Joint - Both persons will be entitled to attend General Meetings of the Association and
will be entitled to share one vote.
3. Corporate ~ Companies and or Organisation who own and/or let residential property in
its name, or who have an interest in supporting the objectives of the Association. One
contact person will need to be specified. The contact person will be entitled to attend
General Meetings of the Association and be entitled to one vote on behalf of the
corporate member.
5 CONDUCT OF MEMBERS
5.1 Members are expected to work to any 'Code of Practice' that has been approved and
adopted by the Committee.
5.2 Members must always behave in the best interests of the Association and not bring it or
its members into disrepute.
5.3 Any written complaint against a member shall be investigated by the Committee.
5.4 What is or is not serious is a matter for the discretion of the Committee, as is the action to
be taken and their decision on any such matter is final and binding
5.5 Members must produce a current membership card or number when seeking help and
advice.
5.6 A member may resign at any time by giving notice in writing.
5.7 Membership of the Association constitutes acceptance of this Constitution.
5.8 The committee shall have power at any time, by a majority vote, to expel members of
the Association who fail to provide a good standard of accommodation, or who bring
the Association into disrepute by some action or omission. The committee will nominate
three members who will act as an appeals sub-committee, if required, for any disciplinary
actions. The three named will take no part and will withdraw from any initial hearing of a
disciplinary nature.
5.9 No member of the Association may run any business or personal venture that purports
to be York Residential Landlords Association, YRLA or York RLA. No member may
therefore use the Association's name, the acronym YRLA, the term York RLA, the York
RLA's logo, letter heading or other similar emblems of the York RLA in the name of
their company/organisation for any purpose other than that for which it was originally
intended. This does not stop members from stating that they or their organisation are
members of York RLA or comply with its adopted code of practice.
5.10 A member expelled by the Committee will have the right to appeal in writing to the
Membership Secretary within 14 days of their expulsion detailing their grounds of
appeal. The Committee will appoint an 'Appeals Sub-Committee' made up of three
people who were not party to hear the appeal. The decision of the Appeals Sub
Committee will be final and binding.
6 COMMITTEE
The management of the Association shall be vested in an Executive body termed 'the
Committee', as hereinafter provided. The Committee shall consist of
a Chairman
b Membership Secretary
c Meetings Secretary
d Treasurer
e Five General Members
f Co-opted members as required, who shall have no voting rights
6.1 The officers and elected members of the Committee shall be elected at the Annual
General Meeting of the Association.
6.2 No member may be elected to the committee at an AGM unless they have been a
fully paid-up member of the Association for at least one year and one day.
6.3 Nominations for Committee members must be made in writing on the official prescribed
form available from the Meetings Secretary. A nomination can only be made by a
fully paid-up member and must also be seconded by a different fully paid-up member.
Fully completed Nomination forms must be received by the Meetings Secretary at
least two months before the date of the AGM. The 'proposer' must obtain the permission
of the person being proposed before submitting this nomination.
6.4 Only full members of the association whose subscription fee is fully paid up to date may
be nominated for, or retain, a place on the committee.
6.5 The Committee and officers shall serve until the next AGM following their election.
6.6 Any officer or Committee member shall be eligible for re-election.
6.7 Any fully paid up member can propose (or second) as many people as they wish onto the
Committee
6.8 The Committee shall meet as often as necessary and the last business on the Agenda of
any meeting shall be to fix the date of the next one.
6.9 At meetings of the Committee, properly notified by the Meetings Secretary/Chair, four
Committee members shall constitute a quorum.
6.10 Decisions of the Committee, on which a vote is taken, shall require a simple majority of
those present and eligible to vote. The Chairman shall have a second casting vote in the
event of a tie.
6.11 Either the Chairman or any other officer shall be empowered to act on behalf of the
Committee in matters which are of a routine character which will not permit delay and
subject to such action being ratified at the next meeting of the Committee.
6.12 The Committee may fill any vacancy among the elected Officers or Members, which
may occur during the year by a majority vote at a Committee Meeting. The person so
appointed shall hold office for the remaining unexpired period of his predecessor's term
of office, but shall be eligible for election at any AGM.
7 HONORARY MEMBERSHIP
The Committee shall have the power to appoint as an honorary member any person who, in the
opinion of the Committee, is deserving of such appointment. Each individual honorary member
will be entitled to one vote at any General Meeting of the Association.
8 THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
8.1 The AGM will normally take place during the month of December in each year, on a date
and at a time and place to be fixed by the Committee for the following purposes:
a to receive reports on the work and activities of the Association during the
preceding year
b to receive from the Committee a report on the financial position of the Association
and to receive from the Committee a copy of a balance sheet and statement of
accounts for the preceding financial year
c to elect the Committee
d to fix the annual subscription and enrolment fee (if applicable) for the following
membership year
e to decide upon any resolutions
f to appoint auditors.
8.2 At least two months before an AGM, members shall be given advance notice of the date
of the AGM.
8.3 Any resolutions which members wish to be considered at the AGM, should be submitted
in writing to the Meetings Secretary of the Association at least one month before the date
of the AGM
8.4 The quorum at all AGM's of the Association shall be 10% of members or 40 members
attending, whichever is the lower.
8.5 At the AGM, or any other General Meetings of members, all questions shall be
determined by a show of hands of those attending. Only paid up members shall be
eligible to vote and each such member shall have one vote as defined in terms of
membership. In the equality of votes, the Chairman shall have a second casting vote.
8.6 Minutes of all General Meetings of the Association and its Committee together with all
papers relevant to policy and non-financial matters are to be kept by the Meetings
Secretary. These papers will be available for scrutiny by any member after first giving 7
days' prior notice.
9 EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING
9.1 An Extraordinary General meeting shall be convened by the Committee where required
for the proper management of the Association or where at least 10% of members shall
apply in writing for such a meeting and those members shall declare a particular
purpose for the meeting. The Extraordinary General Meeting should be convened
giving a minimum of three weeks notice and shall be conducted in accordance with the
requirements of an Annual General Meeting.
9.2 The Quorum at an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be 10% of members or 40
members attending, whichever is the lower.
10 SUBSCRIPTIONS
10.1 The annual membership fees and enrolment fee (if applicable) are determined at the
AGM.
10.2 The Committee shall have the discretion to arrive at an equitable arrangement for new
members joining the Association late in any subscription year.
10.3 The membership and/or enrolment fee is not returnable under normal circumstances
unless specifically agreed upon by the Committee.
11 FINANCE
11.1 No member shall by reason of his/her membership of the Association be financially liable
to or on behalf of the Association except for payment of the Annual Subscription nor shall
the Association be liable for any act or matter or thing done for or on behalf of the
Association by a member (whether or not a member of the Committee).
11.2 The Association shall not borrow money.
11.3 All monies belonging to the Association shall be paid into a bank as agreed from time to
time.
11.4 The Committee shall keep proper accounting records and shall regulate the signing of
cheques, to be signed by two officers.
11.5 Accounts shall be prepared annually for an accounting year ending on a date to be
agreed by the committee. The Committee shall appoint a qualified accountant,
independent of the Committee, to review and comment upon the accounting records,
prior to submission to the AGM.
11.6 The Association is empowered to raise funds by receiving subscriptions, donations and
gifts.
11.7 The property and funds of the Association shall be held by the Committee as trustees for
the membership. The funds of the Association shall be administered by the Treasurer
under the supervision of the Committee.
11.8 Expenditure by a Committee member on behalf of the Association shall not exceed
£200.00 between any two consecutive Committee Meetings without the prior approval of
the Committee.
11.9 The Committee shall not commit the Association to more expenditure than its current
assets.
11.10 Members or officers shall not receive any payment from the Association funds except for
materials supplied to the Association or for expenses properly incurred on the
Association's behalf. The Committee must sanction any such payment.
11.11 Money or property of the Association or any gain arising from the activities of the
Association shall not be applied other than for the benefit of the Association or for causes
whose objectives are similar to those of the Association.
11.12 All financial records will be kept by the Treasurer. These papers will be available for
scrutiny by any member giving seven days' prior notice.
12 INDEMNITY
Written and oral advice from the Association shall be given in good faith but no responsibility
whatsoever shall be accepted by the Association or its officers or members for the accuracy of
its advice nor shall the Association or individual members be held liable for the consequences of
reliance upon such advice. The Committee will in any event ensure that it has proper and
sufficient Indemnity Insurance in place to protect the actions of its officers and elected members.
13 CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION
Changes to the Constitution shall only come into effect if:
a they are approved by not less than two thirds of members present at any duly constituted
AGM or other General Meeting of the Association;
b one month's written notice has been given of the meeting;
c the notice must contain details of the proposed alteration.
14 DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION
14.1 The Association shall be dissolved if at a General Meeting a resolution for dissolution of
the Association obtains two thirds of the votes cast. One month's notice shall be given of
any such proposal.
14.2 If after the dissolution of the Association, there remains after the satisfaction of all debts
and liabilities any property whatsoever, then it shall be equally distributed amongst the
members of the Association.
Any dispute which may arise from the interpretation of these rules shall be determined by the Chairman, whose
ruling may be challenged by any two members acting as' proposer' and 'seconder', according to the rules of
debate.
Last Amended following the AGM on Tuesday 8th December 2009
