New measures to be introduced to professionalise the estate agent market, driving up standards and bringing an end to ‘rogue managing agents’, have been welcomed by Petty Real Director Ian Bythell. Housing Secretary Sajid Javid announced the measures earlier this month with Estate agents now being required to hold a professional qualification and to be transparent about the fees they receive for referring clients to solicitors, surveyors and mortgage brokers.
Ian said: ‘There are approximately 20,000 estate agent businesses across the country, and currently, anyone can practice as an estate agent. This can make it difficult for buyers and sellers to know who to trust. Everyone at Petty’s has a professional qualification and we take staff development extremely seriously but that’s not the same at all estate agencies. The changes set out will professionalise the sector, creating a more trustworthy and reliable industry who can be better held to account.’
Housing Secretary Sajid Javid stated that buying a home is one of the biggest and most important purchases someone will make in their life. But for far too long buyers and sellers have been trapped in a stressful system full of delays and uncertainty. The government are hoping to put the consumers back in the driving seat with these new measures and estate agents will be required to hold a qualification so that people are no longer at risk from a minority of ‘rogue agents’ and can trust the process when buying or selling their home.
Ian said; ‘Anything that can help the process of home buying become easier and more transparent has got to be a good thing all round and we welcome the Government initiative. It’s about time the industry was brought up to professional standards, like those in the same trade such as conveyancers, solicitors and surveyors.’