Estate agents would have to go back to school and achieve minimum level of qualifications as part of Labour plans to drive cowboy operators out of the housing market.
Labour’s shadow housing minister Matthew Pennycook has tabled an amendment to incoming housing reforms which would require all estate agents to have at least one A-level and all directors of estate agencies to have an undergraduate degree.
If passed, the rules would need to be enacted within 24 months of the bill becoming law. Some 102 pages of amendments to the 133-page “Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill” are currently being debated by MPs.
Although the proposed changed are unlikely to gain support from the majority of MPs In the House of Commons, it does offer an early indication of Labour’s position when it comes to improving standards in the estate agency sector.
Propertymark has long been calling for “a properly regulated industry” where agents can be “trusted and respected” by consumers.
Similar rules are already in place in Scotland, while more stringent requirements are in place for estate agents in many other countries.
