Estate agency trade body Propertymark has written to Michael Gove (main image, inset) urging the Housing Secretary to resurrect previous pledges to make qualifications for those who operate within the lettings and property management sectors compulsory.

The letter says the 2019 Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA) published by a parliamentary group headed by Lord Best is the best hope for raising standards within the industry and kicking out rogue operators, despite it being kicked into the long grass.

Propertymark says Gove’s comments earlier this year that all property managers within the social rented sector should be qualified should be applied to all property managers regardless of the type of tenure they deal with.

The Propertymark letter goes on to say that letting agents have a significant role to play in delivering the Decent Homes Standard and tenancy reforms as set out in the Renters (Reform) Bill.

“An estimated 46% of landlords use an agent, where inspections and notices all the way up to the daily running and management of a property are delivered by an agent.

Two million

“This could mean that potentially over two million households could be left uncovered by efforts to improve standards within the private rented sector if the focus on enforcement and new standards remains solely with landlords.”

Propertymark boss Nathan Emerson (main picture) says his organisation still believes full mandatory government regulation of sales, letting and managing agents is the “quickest and most efficient method to eliminate unprofessional, unqualified and unethical agents from the property sector”.

“Piecemeal legislation is unmanageable and unenforceable and there is no overarching regulation to ensure property agents meet basic competency standards.”

Read the letter in full.