At Lawton & Dawe Properties, we welcome the Government’s recently published roadmap for reforming the home buying and selling process. We believe it represents a significant opportunity to modernise the property sector for the benefit of consumers and professionals alike.
For many years, the industry has struggled with lengthy transaction times, inconsistent information, and an unacceptably high number of sales falling through, we have experienced this first hand!
The proposed measures, including seller information packs, digital property records, streamlined anti-money laundering checks and greater use of technology, have the potential to make the moving process faster, more transparent and more efficient – we like the sound of all these improvements!
However, one of the most important aspects of the roadmap is the Government’s commitment to improving regulation and exploring mandatory qualifications for estate agents.
Unlike many professions that deal with transactions worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, estate agency remains largely unregulated. A fact that we simply cannot believe! While most agents work hard to provide professional advice and excellent service, the absence of minimum qualification requirements creates inconsistency across the sector and can undermine consumer confidence.
At Lawton & Dawe Properties, we strongly support the introduction of mandatory qualifications and a robust Code of Practice. We have always been ARLA Propertymark regulated by choice, and more recently – becoming part of Trading Standards, Buy with Confidence scheme.
We strongly believe consumers should be able to expect the same professional standards, ethical conduct and technical knowledge from every agent they engage with, regardless of where they are based or which company they choose.
The proposed reforms are a real chance to change about more than simply speeding up transactions. They are about creating a property market that is transparent, accountable and built around consumer confidence. Higher standards, clearer regulation and better-qualified professionals are essential if these ambitions are to be realised.
We know at Lawton & Dawe, we repeatedly bang the drum about regulation and bringing the sector in line with other professional services, and we will continue to!
Based on our ethos, we fully support the direction of the property sector set out by the Government and look forward to seeing meaningful reforms that strengthen both consumer protection and the reputation of our industry for the long term.
