Estate agents should be regulated and licensed says snap industry poll
A snap poll during Propertymark One’s Sales Insight panel revealed measures to license the profession would receive unanimous support amongst attendees.
Regulation and licensing of estate agents took a step closer to being on the horizon after it was supported by 100% of delegates attending the Propertymark One conference at Wembley Arena yesterday.
A snap poll during Propertymark One’s Sales Insight panel revealed measures to license the profession would receive full support amongst attendees.
ROGUES
TV pundit and property guru Russell Quirk was hosting the panel and delegates heard from experts who said such measures would provide a method of keeping rogues out of the business and kicking out the bad.
Quirk asked a panel of experts: “Do you agree with me that we should be licensed, that it will be better for the industry, better for the consumer and better for fees?”
Clare Yates, Managing Director of CY Training Works, replied: “I completely agree with you. On the basis of our current model, we let a complete stranger in our house, they’re allowed to case the joint, walk around it and you hand over your front door key and your alarm code. I cannot think of anything scarier… disobeying the rules of your Mum and Dad.
“Don’t answer to the door to a stranger, don’t let them walk about your place, certainly don’t tell them you are going to be out and then why don’t you show some strangers around your house.
“And we can do all this without any professional qualifications and it frightens me.”
FAVOUR
Michael Day, compliance guru and Chief Executive of Integra Property Services, said: “Well I’m certainly in favour of good agents rather than bad agents. In terms of regulation and licensing the compelling case for licensing is that it gives a method of keeping rogues out of the business and kicking out the bad.”
Day went on to say that he was ‘a big advocate of self-development’ but without the will of any government to get behind regulation nothing would change in the foreseeable future.
Verona Frankish, Chief Executive of Yopa, added: “I definitely think licensing would be of benefit. There are ways in which you can develop skills, knowledge base and competency though – we need to demonstrate our expertise but ultimately licensing would raise the standard.”
Day added: “There is a commercial reality out there. As an industry we have been pretty poor at really getting the message across that there is added value to the consumer in working with qualified people.
“We do need more professionalism but it will be a longer journey without regulation.”
I started in Ageny 50 years ago and the whole industry (according to polls at the time) was demanding licensing. Subsequent Governments of varying persuasions have always dodged the idea without giving justifiable reasons why. As a consequence many cowboys have come & gone giving the media ample opportunity to tar everyone with the same tarnished brush. If the good guys in the industry want it we have to ask why the politicians don’t. It’s high time the public were given a yardstick by which to judge the professionalism of Estate Agents and how to root out the dodgy ones before they find out the hard way. Half a century later I’m not holding my breath.
Licensing has been a long time coming and I’m all for it happening sooner rather than later but come on Clare there’s a lot of top quality experienced Estate Agents around and in the areas they operate in they are not strangers they are recognised members of the business community with reputable high street names and premises. Please stop treating the general public as though they are irresponsible they are not disobeying there parents advice they don’t let strangers into their homes !