“We want to make sure our agents have the necessary skills to keep up with the pace of change”

“It’s hard to think of an industry that you don’t need to show a qualification for these days. For too long, the estate and lettings industry has been an unusual exception, and readers will know just as well as us how frustrating it can be, to see someone lacking the necessary to skills to set up a successful agency have the ability to decide to open up shop one day, and deal with someone’s most precious asset.

The signs are there that agents are now ready to be recognised and separate themselves and their exceptional businesses with those who unfortunately give our industry a bad name in the mind of consumers. At the end of the day, most agents deliver an outstanding customer experience – we should be proud and be able to recognise that.

It may be that the turning point may come sooner from sellers and landlords themselves. I can already see the time coming when the type of questions potential sellers and landlords are asking of their agent turn to, “what qualifications do you have to sell or let my home”, and “who are you regulated by?”

Offering continuous training and opportunities for development is something so vital at The Property Experts and The Letting Experts. It keeps our agents learning, motivated and confident. The industry is constantly changing, with new market dynamics to navigate and new compliance regulations to keep on top of, and we want to make sure our agents have the necessary skills to keep up with this pace of change.

It’s why our ambition is to get all of our agents Level 3 qualified. We’re using Rightmove’s Level 3 Certificate for Estate and Lettings Agents, and onboarding all of our agents onto the qualification no matter their experience. Not only does it give them all of the core skills to be an effective agent, but as an agency it provides us with the knowledge that each one of our agents has the same minimum standard of learning, and gives sellers and landlords the confidence that they are dealing with an expert and someone they can trust.

In true agency spirit, we’re even using the new Teams View function to add a competitive element to getting qualified. Using Teams View, we have grouped agents together with prizes for those who achieve their qualifications first! The tool is helpful for us to see how agents are progressing, and where agents may need some additional support to complete certain modules.

Regulation is coming – whether its through the government, or sellers and landlords themselves. We for one welcome it, and are so passionate about the opportunity to hold our industry to the very best standards. Agencies who are also passionate about offering the best of the best customer service, ensuring their agents are held in high regard by consumers, and have the confidence through their Level 3 qualification to deal with any situation, should welcome it too.”