The new Labour government remains committed to implementing the recommendations in the final report on the Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA), more than five years on since Lord Best’s Working Group produced the information.
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook yesterday confirmed that that the proposed reforms are still on the agenda. However, there remains no indication of a timeframe for the introduction of planned minimum standards and qualifications.
Pennycook was responding to a question tabled in the House of Commons yesterday. The secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities was asked if the recommendations of the Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA) Working Group, published in July 2019, will be implemented.
The minister confirmed that the UK government is committed to creating a fair and just housing system that works for everyone. He added, this commitment includes raising professionalism and standards amongst property agents to protect consumers, and defend the reputation of good agents from the actions of rogue operatives.
The RoPA Working Group Report made recommendations on a model for an independent property-agent regulator, a single, mandatory, and legally enforceable Code of Practice for property agents and a system of minimum entry requirements and continuing professional development for property agents.
Pennycock said: “The government is committed to ensuring that those living in the rented and leasehold sectors are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents. The Government will set out its position on the regulation of letting, management and estate agents in due course.”
Propertymark has welcomed Pennycook’s commitment to improving standards across the whole of the industry, something the professional body has long campaigned for through RoPA.
Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, commented: “With so many new laws being introduced and with the Renters’ Right Bill on the horizon, it is vital that consumers are guided through the house buying and rental processes by qualified property agents who are knowledgeable about the latest legislative changes to the housing market.
“We know that across the country, qualifications have a positive impact on an agents professional capabilities with 87 per cent of letting agents in Scotland reporting so. Propertymark members are already operating to these higher standards and by extended these practices across the whole of the sector through regulation, it offers the potential to professionalise the industry, stamp out bad practice, create transparency and give consumers more control over who manages their property.
“Propertymark looks forward to continuing to work with the UK Government in bringing this to fruition and seeing the timetable set out for its implementation.”
At least property mark will be happy, more ways to con money from agents!
What are we paying for? No fight against s24, tenant fee ban, s21, renters bill??
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At a recent Propertymark regional conference the speaker stated how jobs for life were a thing of the past, younger workers are much more transient. He then asked how many of those present were qualified, very few hands went up, there was then a question asked as to whether agents found it hard to recruit staff and a significant number of hands went up – can someone please explain to me how by making people get qualified that is going to make it easier to recruit staff, it seems total madness, but what do I know, I left school with one o’level and have run my independent letting agency for 35 years since the age of 19.
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I think if they go down this route a lot of agents will leave the industry and a lot of experience and knowledge will be lost. The only consolation is that fees may go up. However the real problem is in the system we operate. It frustrates everyone including the general public. Therefore the real way forward is to streamline and simplify the buying and selling process. Solicitors/Conveyancers need to be more commited and proactive and work alongside agents to get the deals through. We are all here to help one another after all.
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I don’t think so – we have level 3 qualifications that meet RoPA, with phenomenal 1 exam, 1st take success rates because it covers what agents need to know in agent’s language. No business owner should leave simply because they fear passing the exam. If you know your job, you will pass the exam. However many think they know the job but absolutely don’t! That is fundamentally the reason behind qualifications/ regulation.
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“Solicitors/Conveyancers need to be more committed and proactive and work alongside agents to get the deals through.”
If only it was that easy.
There was an article in Legal Futures magazine today: Conveyancers spend nearly half their time chasing people
Two posted responses set out below:
“It’s partly to do with how Conveyancers allow themselves to work. Took my daughter to Drs this morning, the Dr wasn’t constantly interrupted with emails/ calls/ knocks on the door and was left to deal with my daughter’s appointment. Called my insurers the other day ‘claims handlers don’t take calls as they need the time to concentrate and deal with the claims’! Conveyancers need to start treating themselves as the professionals they are and stop being so accessible. If you need to see/ speak to your conveyancer you should have to make an appointment, if you want an update you can speak to someone more junior that is readily available and let the conveyancer get on with the legal work.”
“It’s not just other professionals who need chasing, my team probably spend half a day every day chasing correct ID, approval of documents, signed documents etc. If any clog in the wheel is unmotivated it leads to chasing which then leads to less time doing the actual legal work.”
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I think Rob as you are a member of the legal profession your side and mine need to work together. Solicitors need to let us know if people are slow in responding and we will chase them up. The alternateve is the reintroduction of HIPS. What do you think of that Rob?
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That is how I used to work with my agent contacts back in the day. But then I would go to their monthly sales meetings, hold a first time buyer session in their offices on a Saturday morning, and go out drinking with them. The trust was there, on both sides. Not so sure it is now, as most relationships are all via email etc.
HIPs should never have been scrapped, postponed yes, and then reviewed and reintroduced in a better format.
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