The Government is clearly intent on professionalising property agents. Light-touch regulation, low levels of public trust and the absence of mandatory professional standards have all been identified as weaknesses in the sector, as highlighted in the Home Buying and Selling Reform introducer.
For years, many agents have argued that experience and membership of industry bodies should be enough. But with binding conditional contracts and a formal Code of Practice on the horizon, the direction of travel is clear: agents will increasingly be expected to demonstrate that they are both competent and fit to practise.
This shift is not simply about regulation. It is also about raising standards, strengthening consumer confidence and creating greater consistency across the profession. A mandatory qualification framework could help build a stronger industry knowledge base, establish clearer minimum service standards and reinforce the idea that property agency is a skilled profession rather than a role people simply “fall into”.
INTERVIEW: Does property industry reform really need Government intervention?