Reader poll: Will ROPA rules improve agency standards?

Half of Estate Agent Today readers agree that industry regulations and minimum qualifications will improve standards in the sector but a third are unsure.

The Regulation of Property Agents (ROPA) proposals have been back in the news recently after parliamentary questions were raised about if and when new rules would be introduced.

It is now approaching four years since Lord Best’s ROPA working party recommended a new industry regulator and code of practice, compulsory training and licensing, and significantly beefed up enforcement.

The Government has said it is committed to introducing new rules but has not provided a timeframe.

An Estate Agent Today reader poll has shown 54% of respondents believe ROPA will improve standards in the industry but 38% disagree and the rest are unsure.

The subject was also debated in the latest video from an industry roundtable last year.

Emoov founder-turned-property-spokesman Russell Quirk backed ROPA, questioning why someone could be a carpenter one day and then setup as an agent the next with no checks.

He said it is “incomprehensible” that estate agents aren’t licensed and suggested some property professionals may have knowledge gaps when it comes to agency laws that benefit the consumer.

Other panellists backed the rules but questioned how they would be policed and in some cases, what they solve.

Watch the full video debate below.