ROPA, Mandatory Qualifications & the Property Sector
On Friday 26th September 2025, the Consultation for ‘Strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services’ ended.
At a time when the property and housing sector are under the microscope due to tragic events such as the Grenfell Fire and the trade that befell a small child who was exposed to severe mould in a property that was managed by a local authority, exposes by Panorama about Estate Agency conduct and ethics, the Government has revised the possibility of Regulating Property Agent. A cause close to Lord Best’s heart, the working group which he chaired, produced the white paper in 2019 gave an overview of what the potential outcome would be if the regulation of property were to become mandatory in England.
The Beauty of Picking up the Phone
In a world of emails, texts, WhatsApp messages, and video chat, the art of speaking confidently on the phone is fading.
Gone are the days of dialling 123 for the time, 100 when you had forgotten a friend’s number or rustling through your purse to make sure you had enough change for the phone box! Today, with so many communication tools at our disposal that make it quick and easy for us to connect through a few clicks and the holding of buttons, it’s no surprise we are losing the art of conversation.
For your business and even personal life, communication is key, and sometimes it takes more than just a text or an email.
Property & The Senses
If there is one thing that letting agents and estate agents are extremely good at is using their sight to create and visual the property every potential buyer or tenant wants as their home.
When it comes to selling or renting a property the focus is often on practical matters such as location, price, compliance with regulations. However, whilst those elements influence prospective buyers’ and tenants’ decision-making, choosing a home, a place to live, is also a sensory experience. Those who intend to buy or rent for their impressions within seconds of entering a property, often using the five senses to make a decision.
Comments from David Smith on House of Commons debate - Renters' Rights Bill
Author - David Smith
September 8, 2025
I did not watch the House of Commons debate on the Lords' amendments to the Renters' Rights Bill live but I was reviewing the transcript in the Commons' Hansard.
Leaving aside how awesome it is that the Hansard is available with a detailed transcript so soon after the debate, I think the Housing Minister, Matthew Pennycook, said a number of important things.
First was on rent increases. The Minister re-iterated the possibility of changing the rules to allow some backdating of rent increases to the date of a s13 notice. However, he was very clear that this is not something the government is intending to do as a matter of course and it will not be used "unless and until it is considered necessary to avoid lengthy delays for genuine cases to be heard" where the tribunal is "overwhelmed". Given that the government thinks the civil courts are going to be fine, I wonder what will count as overwhelm.
On the same topic the Minister also stated that the Government has "concluded that there is a compelling case for the use of an alternative body or mechanism to make initial rent determinations" and it will "establish such an alternative body or mechanism as soon as possible".