The Labour Party is being urged to take the lead on estate agency regulation and help driving up standards in the sector.
It comes as Labour’s Shadow Deputy Prime Minister and Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner started the party’s conference by outline its property-related policies.
She said Labour will “achieve rental reform where the Tories have failed for four and a half years” by banning ‘no fault’ evictions and will give first-time buyers ‘first dibs’ on new developments in their communities.
Rayner also promised a mortgage guarantee scheme and said the party would end “the mediaeval leasehold system”, with root and branch reforms, while also committing to planning reform to build more homes.
Agency trade body Propertymark backed the proposals but has called for the party to go further.
Propertymark issued a plea for Labour to engage with the sector and understand the concerns from property agents, which include: regulating property agents through qualifications, a statutory code of practice, pass a fit and proper person test and membership of a professional body.
It said any new energy efficiency targets for housing should be realistic and not one size fits all.
Any targets should be complimented with grants, loans, and funding to incentivise landlords and homeowners to act, Propertymark said.
The trade body also urged Labour to commit to improving the home buying and selling process by supporting agents and the sectors work on enhancing upfront information.
Nathan Emerson, chief executive of Propertymark, said: “Labour has an opportunity to lead on agent regulation and drive-up standards for consumers.
“The current Government at Westminster has said that all property managers in the social rented sector should be qualified, so we urge Labour to join our calls and extend these requirements to letting agents, estate agents and managing agents – this will ensure a higher level of consumer protection wherever consumers rent or buy a home, improve the everyday economy and empower communities up and down the country.”
This article is taken from Estate Agent Today