ARLA Propertymark has a total of 10,219 branches within its membership in England, with an average of 221 properties managed per branch. As a result, we believe that ARLA Propertymark members manage approximately 2,258,399 properties, equalling almost half of the private rented sector in England.
Biggest influencer
ARLA Propertymark is the UK’s foremost professional and regulatory body for letting agents and the biggest and most influential body in the sector.
Our work over many years has seen us feed members’ views into discussions with all Governments across the UK on a broad range of changes to the private rented sector, most recently pressing during the COVID-19 pandemic we pushed Government to extend business rates relief to agents and to include commission in calculations for furloughed pay. ARLA Propertymark lobbying campaigns are known across the industry and we are currently feeding evidence-based arguments into the live issue of housing possession and the backlog of housing cases faced by the courts.
Lobbying is fundamental to ARLA Propertymark’s work and there have been numerous proposals, reports, investigations, and legislative changes to the property sector across the UK in recent years. Being an ARLA Propertymark member and contributing to regular consultations ensures agents have a collective voice. Propertymark places issues on the agenda, commenting in the media, and challenging decision-makers on the challenges that affect tenants, landlords and letting agents.
Shaping the profession
We stand up for property agents and ensure their voice is heard. We work with our members to interpret key policy developments, lobby for change and represent their views.
High standards
With regulation on the horizon, it is important now, more than ever, that agents recognise that being part of a professional body will demonstrate their high standards. All members must follow a strict code of practice and be part of our Client Money Protection (CMP) scheme, which ARLA Propertymark campaigned to make mandatory for all letting agents.
We are striving to continue to build our membership and adherence to high standards year on year with our consumer awareness campaign which is designed to outline the need for high standards.
Qualification
This milestone also shows how important qualification is in the current challenging operating context. Agents should take the time to achieve a relevant qualification to be ready for the Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA) but as importantly show their commitment to providing the best possible service. Scotland and Wales already regulate this sector, so agents in England need to make sure they are taking preparation seriously and have a head start in being ready for regulation.
It’s extremely encouraging to see such a large proportion of the sector actively seeking greater regulation and professional standards than the law currently demands through choosing to be a member of ARLA Propertymark. This is especially important in our current uncertain climate where collaboration between the Government and private rented sector is more crucial than ever, and as the Government seeks to introduce Regulation of Property Agents.
