Previous articles I’ve written here have focused on how to study for property qualifications. Today, I want to cover what qualifications are available to residential property agents, and in particular those through the National Federation of Property Professionals Awarding Body (NFoPP AB).

Qualification Levels

NFoPP AB offers three levels of qualification: level 2, 3, and 4 (there is no level 1). These are nationally recognised qualifications (OfQual / Welsh Government accredited) and available throughout the UK. The level numbers are an official categorisation which allows qualifications from different organisations to be compared to each other.

The Introduction to Residential Property Management Award is positioned at Level 2, similar to a GCSE.

This is a relatively new qualification and is recommended for residential letting agents, providing knowledge about property laws and letting practice, as well as examining the role of customer care for agents.

As the name suggests, this qualification is ideal for individuals:

• Who are new to the profession and want a good grounding in the profession’s core skills
• Where a higher qualification would be unnecessary but core knowledge is essential. This might include ‘backroom staff’ such as administrators
• Who want something tangible at the end of their ‘property training’ i.e. a qualification
• Who want to enter the property profession and want to demonstrate their interest in the industry to potential employers.

This qualification is a route to membership for the professional body ‘Association of Residential Letting Agents’ (ARLA)

The next level of qualification is a ‘Technical Award’. This is a level 3 qualification and is comparable in level to A levels. These have been available for over 10 years and have proved popular with the property industry. They cover a wide range of disciplines:

• Technical Award in the Sale of Residential Property
• Technical Award in Residential Letting and Property Management
• Technical Award in Commercial Property Agency
• Technical Award in Chattels Auctioneering
• Technical Award in Real Property Auctioneering
• Technical Award in Inventory Management and Practice

Achieving these qualifications is a route to membership to all NFoPP professional bodies:

• Association of Residential Letting Agents’ (ARLA)
• National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA)
• Institution of Commercial and Business Agents (ICBA)
• National Association of Valuers and Auctioneers (NAVA)
• Association of Professional Inventory Providers (APIP)

The Technical Award is ideal for agents who want

• A route to membership to one of the professional bodies mentioned above
• A route to enrolling on the level 4 Certificate qualification (for some qualifications)
• A thorough knowledge and understanding in a variety of subjects within each sector. This includes, depending on the sector, general and specific property legislation, property practice and appraisal, property management and building construction and defects.
• Something tangible at the end of their ‘property training’ i.e. a qualification.

The level 2 and level 3 qualifications are available throughout the UK although Scotland and Northern Ireland have specific versions for some qualifications (NB the level designation in Scotland is labelled level 5 and 6 rather than level 2 and 3 as in England and Wales).

Level 4 Certificates are the gold standard available through NFoPP AB. They offer a route to fellowship with select professional bodies.

While the level 2 and level 3 qualifications are open to all, level 4 requires that the appropriate level 3 Technical Award qualification be completed first. Three subject areas are available:

• Certificate in Sale of Residential Property
• Certificate in Residential Letting and Property Management
• Certificate in Commercial Property Agency

This qualification takes the information from the level 3 Technical Award and studies it in far greater depth. It is ideal for agents who want:

• A route to fellowship
• To study to the highest level and greatest depth with NFoPP AB
• To build on their Technical Award studies

• A means to prove the ‘gold standard’ of excellence to potential clients or new employers
• Something tangible at the end of their ‘property training’ i.e. a qualification.

Examinations

Each of the NFoPP AB qualifications are assessed by a final exam. For level 2 and level 3 qualifications, you will complete four multiple choice exam papers. The level 4 Certificate is slightly different and is assessed by a mixture of multiple choice papers and short answers papers. Further details can be found here on the NFoPP Awarding Body web site.

Study Materials

Workbooks are available to study for each of the qualifications. They have been written based on the qualification syllabus and take the learner through the necessary subject areas. A recent addition to this are digital workbooks. Further information on both can be obtained from MOL on 0161 203 2103 or enquiries@mollearn.com

Free updates to the workbooks are also now available and can be found at http://www.mollearn.com/addendums

For more details on any of the information discussed call MOL on 0161 203 2103 or go to: www.mollearn.com/property-courses

Paul Jager is head of the Property Division at MOL