The Guild of Property Professionals has announced that it is to offer a Level-Three Estate Agency Qualification at either certificate or diploma level in residential sales and lettings, and property management.

The Guild’s Compliance Officer, Paul Offley, together with Head of Engagement and Development, Jennifer Scott-Reid, will be responsible for this new initiative. According to Paul, offering a formal qualification is something that the Membership has been asking for, and The Guild has been working on answering that request as part of the range of professional services offered to Members.

"While any mandatory qualifications within the industry are not quite with us yet and are unlikely to be so until Government decide on a response to Lord Best’s report on the Regulation of Property Agents, I believe people working in the industry wants to be recognised for the professional service they offer to consumers and having fully qualified teams will raise standards and enhance consumer confidence,” Paul comments.

Once launched, the training will be offered to Guild Members for free as part of their Membership, however, they will have to pay for the cost of the actual examination to obtain the qualification.

“The Guild already has a successful Associate Training Scheme, which carries the approval of Cambridgeshire Trading Standards, however, the new qualification offering will further enhance its overall professional learning and development services. The qualification will be accredited at Ofqual Level Three status and will cover residential sales, lettings and property management. Once in place, it will all be delivered using a digital platform and supported via a range of digital learning options to help support learning and development of candidates.” Paul comments.

The qualification will be available to all Guild Members and their teams in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland with the potential to offer to the wider industry if sufficient interest is shown.