Propertymark is desperately trying to repair what some agents see as a damaged reputation by boasting about its perceived ‘lobbying success’ over the past 12 months. 
It has been a tough few months for the organisation, with plenty of high-profile resignations.
Last week it was revealed that Propertymark’s head of finance, Kate Hawkins, had handed in her notice and is quitting after two and a half years in the role.
Hawkins’ departure from Propertymark comes just a few weeks after CEO Tom Balcon quit. In fact, it transpires that she handed in her notice last month, shortly after Balcon left. NAEA president Kirsty Finney also stepped down from her role in February.
David Cox, now with Rightmove, unexpectedly left his post as ARLA chief executive last year, ex-NAEA chairman Christopher Hamer also exited at short notice in 2020, while former NAEA chief executive Mark Hayward recently postponed his retirement to take on a new role as Propertymark chief policy advisor.
A poll by Property Industry Eye last month found that the majority of agents are in favour of seeing changes to how Propertymark is run.
It is particularly interesting that a significant proportion of respondents to the survey – 71.1% – are members but still find the organisation to be unfit for purpose.
Propertymark, which a few days after the EYE poll, appointed Nathan Emerson as interim CEO, says that it has supported members throughout the pandemic by lobbying government on key issues impacting estate agency businesses.
This, Propertymark says, includes expansion of Business Rates Relief to include sales and letting agents, estimated to have saved agents more than £200m.
It also claims the credit for the amendment of the furlough eligibility criteria to include commission payments for agents.
In addition, it says it was influential in the the reopening of the housing market earlier than other sectors to allow people to move home and for socially distanced property viewings to take place.
Emerson commented: “While the events of 2020 have been destabilising, they have also been a catalyst for change. Propertymark has been by its’ members’ side throughout, and members have demonstrated strength and resilience which shows in the uptake of training and CPD opportunities.
“Propertymark is genuinely member-led and that has positioned the organisation to provide the resources required, in the right way, at the right time, for our members and learners.
“We are proud of our members, managing the workload, supporting their clients, and putting their professional development at the fore, making the most of the increased online and remote training opportunities that we have made available, this past year.”
Nathan cares! and that’s a good start… a very good start!
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As you say Robert – a very good start. There’s a long way to go yet and a huge amount of structural repairs to do before we are out of the woods.
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I personally don’t think there is a long way to go now, as quick as flicking a light switch Propertymark has changed and whatever was taking it down a road to declining membership has suddenly stopped.
Professional agents shouldn’t need any prompting or excuse to rejoin NAEA or ARLA; with an enlightened attitude of vocational- time served route to qualification from Propertymark, giving Fellows their F back would remove a big barrier to agents rejoining their respective association.
10 years coalface experience of agency might not be a formal exam qualification, but surviving in a competitive commercial business for 10 years is a full, proper and relevant apprenticeship in any industry. Once Fellows start sticking F on their business cards again and start using against their competition who don’t have an ‘F’ there becomes a motivation to have one.
While there is money to be earned from training, teaching granny to suck eggs and getting granny to pay for training and qualifications when they will be no better off isn’t a motivator until the qualification has a value. The Only real value that can be measured is instructions won and fees earned.
Once Propertymark give ‘Smile Please’ agents a reason to join NAEA again they’ll have it sussed and have it easy. Let their competitors have their Fs back, no strings. Let the professional agents use it against the amateurs and let FNAEA be the mark of a professional agent and membership income will outstrip training income.
Smile Please agents are intelligent, articulate and professional, they are not amateurs but there is no perceived benefit to belonging to Propertymark, give them reasons to join.
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Robert. I have to say that education is and has always been one of the strongest elements of NAEA and NAVA and ARLA and agreat benefit of memebership. It is not all about earning money but also about improving standards and expert knowledge in the profession.
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I was hoping Smile Please would contribute their £0.02 It is agents like that Propertymark have got to win back.
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Propertymark, maybe they should rebrand to RoPA. This seems to be their single ambition – to sell training around a mythical being. Just how many tens of thousands have agents spent so far on Propertymark courses – agents driven to by Propertymark’s spin that one day RoPA will become law? And will all that money be refunded if RoPA never comes in – or is so changed that the ‘training’ is found to be wanting. When 71% say you are unfit for purpose and everyone ‘running the show???’ leaves/retires/resigns – it is just a matter of time before reality sets in, and a new organisation comes along. I particularly like the idea that the Business Rates Relief to agents happened because of Propertymark, maybe they would like to evidence this – my intel says different, but I am open to being proved wrong, everyone knows how to get hold of me.
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Just like the Union Bosses who get too close to the Westminster politicians, ARLA seems to have lost sight of who they represent…..? And as far as training is concerned, they have been superseded by some of the apprentice schemes offering better training for my young staff (U25yrs) and giving me a grant to do it instead of charging me a ridiculous fee. They have also got into bed with an examining organisation that seek to “fail” a significant % to feed the training beast. Completely outdated model.
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Nathan has the minerals for this. Not sure he’ll want the job permanently, but first thing I would do is make moves to rebrand the organisation. A more recognisable and credible brand. Propertymark’s current branding doesn’t appear to carry much weight
I don’t think members are fully aware of the amount of government lobbying behind that goes on behind the scenes.
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I think members and indeed the wider industry would be pretty shocked and appalled at much of what PM are lobbying for.
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This is a classic distraction tactic, to dazzle with the one hand whilst the other hand is busy picking your pocket!
PM have no other aim but to monetise RoPA, to make PM membership compulsory and by hook or by crook take more money out of the pockets of hard-working agents. Agents who are already struggling under market pressures, increasing overheads and red tape.
If they want to be “THE” voice of the industry (as per their hastily pulled together 4 pillars)… they should start by unpicking everything they’ve done to encourage the Govt to slap another costly burden on the industry they supposedly “represent”.
The truth is that they don’t speak for the industry and we would do well to remind the Government of this.
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I have zero interest in PM like the public
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Why Jan? If you knew using a Propertymark agent meant you were getting a better service why wouldn’t that be of interest?
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But this is precisely the point is it not Robert?
Certainly as things currently stand there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that an agent with a PM logo provides a “better service” than one without. Indeed 2 of the largest AML fines were handed out to PM registered agencies, which hardly supports their assertion that PM agents operate to a higher standard than the law demands.
Passing an exam rather sadly isn’t and will never be an indicator of “professionalism” or indeed customer service ability, it just says they know the answer to some property related multiple choice questions. In your previous comments, you rightly point out that 10yrs at the coal face is a much better indicator of ability.
This latter point raises all the more serious questions about why RoPA seems so averse to grandparenting, I can’t help but think it’s all about the £££.
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I’m always here for the discussion Jan, to get the industry thinking about itself and how to improve.
I’m exFNAEA, rather than wait 10 years to get an F I did meaningful exams after a year of study, I got an F in 4 years not 10. I am a better agent than many 25 year complacent veterans so in my case I know how to demolish less professional agents because of the study and exams I did.
If the only people allowed to provide advice on value were either exam qualified or experienced qualified valuers and the only way to be certified is being NAEA accredited you’d care and so would they. There would be a distinction between professional valuers and bods who look up a price on t’internet and add two lots of 10%; because 20% is difficult maths.
Propertymark should and could represent professional estate agency firms, passive intermediaries with/without an office could be another category of agent and then there would be passive intermediary listers
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I am sure that there are many agents young and old without letters after their names or qualifications who will consider themselves better than “25 year complacent veterans”… by the very nature of them being complacent. I suspect the exam didn’t make you better, the study did, and there are plenty of non PM valuers out there who are vastly experienced and who don’t just look up the price online or add easy percentage points to their valuations.
Surely it is your latter point which has caused PM so much trouble, because in real terms PM / NAEA / ARLA have always tried to be the body which represents “professional estate agents”. However because consumers don’t particularly care and the service in real terms isn’t any different between that offered by a good agent with the badge, or a good agent without the badge, the badge and indeed the membership is increasingly irrelevant.
As such membership has been falling and it is for this reason that PM are pushing so aggressively for the “professionalisation” of the industry, to create for their members a “level playing field” as they call it. A playing field where everyone has to spend money with Propertymark and a playing field in which once again the cream will rise to the top and those trying to short circuit the system by the buying of a badge will feel hard done by when the badge turns out to be completely worthless.
At the end of the day reputation is the best regulator of our industry, reputation which takes years to make and seconds to lose. The small number of “rogue” agents will always exist with or without qualifications or bodies such as PM and they need to be dealt with via actual enforcement of the legislation which is, contrary to popular belief, plentiful. Expensive industry-wide red tape will do nothing but cost us all money and line the pockets of a select few.
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The point of the qualification is, all things equal I will always have an edge over whoever I come up against. I didn’t buy my badge I worked hard for it because having it put more money in my pocket and my boss’s.
The whole point of qualifications is learning what you’re being taught, that the same for apprenticeship or exam qualifications. the problem Propertymark had was trying to flog low level training to everyone instead of elite training to the best and most determined. The barrier was too low
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James I agree 100% with you
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Rob,
I have never been in the NEA – I went to a few meetigns and ecided it was a waste of time just a lot of hot air and elf important people telling each other how great they are was my view.
We have PM agents near me and I wipe the floor woth them as I did with the local NEA agents. I am better then them vbecaise I am better at sales than they are and and vuilding relationships.
As for only qualifoerd valuers being able to advise I wish I had a £1 for every valuer who has ranfmg me to ask my opinion on value. They do look it up on the interent as you well know for comparables – valuing a house really is not rocket science.
Being in PM does nto deter the ,local memeber in my area from adding the 10-20% that you mention.
PM does not represent me I have no more interest in in that 99% of the general public.
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B ut it does not mean that. I know of agents in PM who are unethical or hopeless.
The general public does nt know abut or care about propertymark.
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