With all eyes on the Renters’ Rights Bill, discussion around the regulation of property agents (RoPA) has taken a back seat. However, responding to a question in Parliament, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook MP stated that reforming the sector included raising professional standards amongst agents to protect consumers and defend the reputation of good agents from the actions of rogue operatives.

Regulation offers the potential to professionalise the industry, stamp out bad practice, create transparency and give consumers more control over who manages their property. Minimum qualification requirements and statutory Code of Practices to be adhered to by all letting and managing agents in England and sales agents across the UK should be introduced.

Jas Athwal, MP, has endured a weekend of backlash after reports revealed his tenants were living in flats containing black mould and an infestation of ants. It was also discovered that Mr Athwal, previously the leader of Redbridge Council who introduced the scheme, had not correctly renewed the selective licences for his properties.

The Chair of the Industry and Regulators Committee in the House of Lords, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, has written to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), expressing disappointment at the UK Government’s response to findings of the Committee’s inquiry into the need for the regulation of property agents.

A report commissioned by the Labour Party states that the opportunity to live in a secure, affordable and accessible home is out of reach for many people, and this is set to remain the case unless the system is changed significantly. They state that landlords and agents should be registered and accredited, recommend rent stabilisation measures, and support longer term tenancies based on the model of Rent Smart Wales.

The Leader of the House of Commons has confirmed the remaining stages of the Renters (Reform) Bill will take place on Wednesday 24 April 2024 with some key changes to the Bill brought forward. Whilst the UK Government has listened and reacted to some industry concerns, another chance has been wasted to effectively regulate property agents.

The Department for Communities (DfC) is refreshing it's proposals for reform of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) which were first published in 2017. In response to their stakeholder survey, Propertymark has urged the DfC to prioritise increasing housing supply, regulating property agents, and taking a carefully considered approach to energy efficiency targets.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities intends to boost standards in social housing by requiring senior managers and executives to have, or be working towards, a relevant qualification. Propertymark has strongly challenged the decision not to extend this requirement to all property agents in the UK, and questioned why private tenants should not expect the same protections as those in the social sector.

Following a short inquiry, at which Propertymark gave evidence, the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee has bluntly asked the UK Government why it has not yet established a regulator of property agents, four years after it committed to doing so.

Propertymark has long called for the regulation and today, 5 March 2024, gave evidence at a House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee Inquiry which examined whether there should be a new regulator as recommended by the report of the Regulation of Property Agents working group in 2019.

The Devolved Government has been restored after 24 months of no activity. Whilst the Civil Service moved ahead with some actions, there are issues for the housing sector which have been on hold. Ministers must now act to make key improvements to address supply, implement the rest of the Private Tenancies Act, and rule out rent controls to protect the private rented sector.

The UK Government should take advantage of the momentum in leasehold reform to stamp out ground rents, invigorate property sales, and promote professional management of leasehold property by qualified and regulated agents.

As a report from the Commons Health and Social Care Committee (HSCC) calls for urgent action from the UK Government to set out a timetable for a Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector (PRS), Propertymark reiterates the need for robust training, qualifications, and competency standards for property managers across both sectors, as well as adequate resources to enforce standards.

Matthew Pennycook, MP, has put forward an amendment which would lead to implementation of the Regulation of Property Agents working group report within 24 months of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill becoming law, whilst Martin Boyd, Chair of the Leasehold Advisory Service, lent his full support to the statutory regulation of agents, stating that it is ‘simply wrong’ that there are no qualification requirements for private sector property managers.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Private Rented Sector launched its report Ensuring Rental Reform Works for Tenants and Landlords at a session on 12 December 2023 with our Head of Policy and Campaigns, Timothy Douglas, in attendance to raise the concerns of Propertymark and its members as well as pushing our calls to qualify and regulate property professionals.

Propertymark has submitted written evidence to the Public Bill Committee on the Renters (Reform) Bill, citing data demonstrating the level of concern amongst our members about measures likely to make the PRS increasingly hostile to property owners and the unintended consequences for people in need of homes.