TWENTY RESIDENTIAL LETTING AGENTS EMBARK ON GROUND-BREAKING TRAINING INITIATIVE

Twenty members of staff from members of the Norwich & District Association of Estate Agents have embarked on a ground-breaking training initiative – which will culminate in a benchmark qualification in residential letting.

The group have embarked on an intensive training course designed to prepare them for the Propertymark Level 3 Technical Award in Residential Letting And Property Management.  The qualification is a requirement for membership of professional body ARLA Propertymark.

In May 2018 the Government announced that statutory regulation of residential letting agents was to be introduced, and the Propertymark Level 3 qualification is likely to be the benchmark qualification at the heart of that new regulation.

The qualification covers four main areas: Health and Safety, Security and General Law; Legal Aspects of Letting & Management; Residential Property Letting Practice; and Residential Property Management Practice.

The group will attend three-hour evening sessions led by property training expert Julie Tyler, who was also the lead tutor on the industry-first Estate Agency and Customer Service initiative developed by City College and Arnolds Keys, which led to national recognition for the qualification and a national roll-out of the curriculum.

The new course follows the introduction by the NDAEA of a similar course for residential estate agents last year – the first of its kind in the UK.

Jan Hÿtch, NDAEA committee member responsible for training, and a partner at Arnolds Keys, said, “We all of us – estate agents, sellers, buyers, landlords and tenants – want to see higher standards of training and skills in the profession, and the move towards regulation is a very positive one.

“However, here in Norfolk we have not waited for the introduction of that regulation, but have moved forward with an initiative to help member agencies improve skills levels amongst their staff, for the benefit of their clients and customers.

“We have already put in place programmes in Norfolk to help train new entrants to our profession; these courses are designed to help develop really top-level skills for those who are already working in it.”