ANUK (Accreditation Network - UK) was formed in May 2002 to publicise, promote and share good practice in accreditation. This was in response to the increasing popularity of accreditation across the UK.

Accreditation started to be used as a means of acknowledging and encouraging good private landlords in the early 1990s, particularly in the student sector. These early schemes were operated by Higher Educational Institutions and/or their agencies and some local authorities.

By the mid 1990s increasing numbers of local authorities were operating accreditation schemes across their entire administrative areas.

The growth of accreditation came to the Governments attention in the late 1990s and who, in 1999, commissioned the University of Birmingham to undertake research into the operation and benefits of accreditation.

The positive findings encouraged the Government to support and encourage accreditation and in 2001 the Government issued comprehensive guidance to local authorities on how to successfully develop and operate accreditation schemes.

This stimulated further interest and resulted in the first National Accreditation Scheme Fair being hosted in Leeds in 2002. Feedback from this event indicated that a wide range of private rented sector stakeholders wished to form a networking organisation to promote accreditation and thus ANUK was born.

ANUK is managed by an Executive Committee and Forum comprising representatives from local authorities, national and local landlord associations, the voluntary sector, the Chartered Institute of environmental Health, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the National Approved Letting Scheme. The work of representatives is voluntary.

ANUK is administered by UNIPOL Student Homes based in Leeds.

ANUK is constantly developing new ways to create a prosperous, quality private rented sector.