Propertymark was part of the working group made up of industry stakeholders and chaired by Lord Best. We have long called for Government regulation to ensure everyone in the industry is licensed, adheres to a strict code of practice and holds (at least) a Level 3 qualification.

RoPA's proposed regulatory framework is focused on estate agents in the UK and letting and managing agents in EnglandThe private rented sector is a devolved issue meaning the Welsh and Scottish Governments have already introduced legislation to regulate letting agents.

RoPA's report recommends that:

  1. All agencies operating a residential property business should be licensed and licensing should include a fit and proper person test for company directors
  2. All staff delivering ‘reserved activities’ employed within residential agency business should be licensed and adhere to a Code of Practice
  3. All staff delivering ‘reserved activities’ employed within residential agency business should hold a qualification at Level 3 or above
  4. All company directors and management agents should hold a qualification at Level 4 or above
  5. A new regulator be appointed to oversee compliance with an overarching Code of Practice
Latest news
07 Mar 2025
Why commonhold isn't that common and how that's about to change

The UK Government has committed to banning the sale of new flats on a leasehold basis and reforming the legal framework for commonhold, so it becomes the default and preferred tenure. It will also become easier for existing leaseholders to convert to commonhold, although the complexities of this may take longer to work out. Few agents in England and Wales have experience with commonhold, as less than 20 developments currently exist, so Propertymark has broken down some key parts of the proposals to help members understand the change.