Agency training platform launches new consumer regulation course

The Able Agent has launched a Consumer Protection Regulations (CPR) guidance short course to support agents amid new Trading Standards material information rules.

The course covers all the key elements of the CPRs for sales and lettings. 

It aims to cover the material information guidance, parts A, B and C in language that agents can relate to their jobs, as opposed to just giving the law itself. A Trading Standards representative has also been interviewed in one section. 

The course is automatically included for existing Able Agent subscribers and can be found in the Legal Compliance module. Agents can also sign up to it as a single user for six months access at £55 excluding VAT.

Charlotte Jeffrey-Campbell, founder and director of The Able Agent, said: “In time the new guidance should help to speed up transactions, and I believe it has the potential to lead to agents earning higher fee income also.

“In most cases – simple questioning in parts A and B will gather all the necessary information. 

“Part C is designed to spot more complex issues and therefore is the area that agents will need to spend most time on. However, I believe that these are the transactions that fall through resulting in lost revenue so time up front will definitely set an agents stall out as ‘trusted professional expert’.

“Equally where situations are trickier it really is wise to make sure that fee levels are relevant to the amount of work that needs to be done. With more knowledge up front of potential issues and correct advice to the seller, it is reasonable that a particular agent will really stand out in terms of support and expertise, and then fee becomes less of an issue.

“We have been working on the CPR course content for some time but needed to make the final tweaks to fall in line with the final guidance around Parts B and C being released. We’re delighted to now be in a position to launch this course and expect it to be met with a lot of interest, given the initial industry feedback on the newly released guidance. 

“It is important to remember that every interaction - from market appraisals to property descriptions - can influence a consumer's transactional decision. Accuracy will therefore be paramount. Cases of fines and reimbursements for misleading property statements will highlight the importance of due diligence and upholding the highest standards.”