What are the facts behind industry qualifications?

Here is the Able Agent guide to qualifications.

We know that the Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA) has been hovering in the background over recent years and there is still uncertainty about whether it will be implemented. Having listened to various industry talks and heard direct from the Ministry for Housing, RoPA has not gone away – it’s just not a priority at this moment in time.

If you are new to the industry, and are wondering what RoPA is, find out more information here.

So, do we need Regulation?

There is increasing speculation that there is an opportunity for the industry to self-regulate, although for any regulation to work – there needs to be policing. At the Able Agent, we work with many estate agents who put their staff and clients’ wellbeing ahead of pure profit and by doing this, interestingly profit tends to grow! Satisfied teams and happy clients can result in more referrals at better fees. Repeat business and client recommendations are an often-overlooked objective, however thinking long term builds a more robust business model.

Studying for and being awarded a qualification can lead to a more confident workforce, with an enhanced legal knowledge and ability to be a property expert. At the Able Agent, we believe very strongly that gaining qualifications leads to staff being proud of their service and improves confidence in winning new business at the best possible fees.

It may come as a surprise that there are alternatives to the Propertymark qualifications that would be likely to fit the RoPA brief – you can research what qualifications are available in property that are Ofqual regulated here https://register.ofqual.gov.uk  – just type property into the search bar. However, we have provided a short summary below.

The ABBE Level 3 Certificate in Property Advice and Practice is fully aligned to the Able Agent online training and is the only level 3 qualification to assess competence in both estate agency and lettings in one exam, with progression routes to additional knowledge and skills in Property Management, Sales Progression, Listing and Market Appraisal and Auction.

Vocational qualifications

Vocational qualifications are specifically designed to meet the needs of employers within the industry and help staff recognise what they need to know in their job role. These types of qualifications are easy to pass if you know what you are doing and hard if you don’t!

We designed the L3 Certificate in Property Advice & Practice (CePAP) taking into account how much estate and lettings agents know! But we also know what is often missing in terms of knowledge. We recognise what you know and fill in gaps where there is a lack of confidence.

So… for all those managers and business owners with years of experience – you really shouldn’t fear sitting the CePAP as it is written by agents in a language that you will be familiar with!

So, what are the solutions to getting qualified and prepared in advance?

Agents may not realise that there are alternative ways to study in preparation for regulation. However, there no guarantees, as the RoPA report clearly states that staff with an existing Level 3 property Ofqual regulated qualification can use their qualification, BUT may need “top up”.

The need to ‘top up’ your qualification could be to cover:

• New laws introduced since the qualification was achieved
• Estate agency if a lettings qualification is held or vice versa
• Any topics introduced to the syllabus by the Regulator (Ethics – for example is a current suggestion)

Available qualifications as listed on the Ofqual website. 

Not all may be available, some may be a funded portfolio apprenticeship, others may be exam based, self-study.

For more information or even just advice on which qualification would be best for you – book a one2one with Charlotte.