ASSOCIATION NEWS
RICS POSITIVE RESPONSE TO REGULATION OF PROPERTY AGENTS
FMs working within the residential property
sector will be interested to hear that
RICS, which has long called for the consistent
regulation of residential property agency in the
UK has welcomed the recommendations of a
Government working group into the regulation of
residential agents in the United Kingdom.
Sean Tompkins, RICS, CEO, comments: “The
process has helped to highlight the leadership
that RICS demonstrates through our long-standing
commitment to upholding the public interest,
through e ective, independent regulation.
This is clearly reflected in the report, which has
recommended that the new state regulator
should be able to delegate regulatory functions
to a professional body which can show su icient
regulatory independence and competence in that
area.
Approximately 2,700 RICS regulated firms in the
UK undertake residential sales, lettings agency,
and/or property management. These firms, and
individual RICS members in the sector, are subject
to regulation by RICS. These, however, represent
HELP TO RAISE THE BAR IN BUILDING SAFETY
8 OCTOBER 2019
just a fraction of the overall residential agency
sector.
One of the specific recommendations relating
to a consistently regulated and more unified
sector, is that agents should be subject to a single,
consolidated residential property code, in the
form of an overarching high-level set of principles
with additional sector specific requirements
(covering sales, lettings and block management).
RICS agrees with this approach, which follows the
framework of many of our existing internationally
adopted standards and guidance documents.
We now intend to build on the existing RICS led
publications to produce a consolidated dra code
for the Regulator to consider, and look forward
to working closely with the profession, sector
partners and consumer interest stakeholders as we
develop this.”
We are also pleased to note Lord Best has
supported our recommendation that the new
regulator should have the powers to delegate
regulatory functions to selected designated
professional bodies (DPBs), where they can show
they have an independent regulatory function,
and demonstrable capacity to work in the public
interest.
With regard to RICS qualifications, we are
working to obtain recognition for the relevant
RICS professional membership grades (chartered
and associate), within the new regime and
the recommendations published. We are also
considering the development of a range of RICS
vocational qualifications to meet the new licensing
requirements, and to provide a stepping stone
to gaining globally recognised RICS professional
status.
We encourage Government to take steps to
implement the findings of the report, which will
help to bring greater consistency and, ultimately,
increase public trust in the agency sector.
The body responsible for industry’s response
to the competence failings identified in the
Hackitt Review, ‘Building a Safer Future’,
has published its interim report, ‘Raising the Bar’,
as a consultation exercise.
Under the leadership of the Industry Response
Group Steering Group on Competence (CSG), more
than 150 bodies and organisations across the
construction and fire sectors have worked together
for over 12 months on radical and wide-ranging
proposals to raise competence and make buildings
safer.
‘Raising the Bar’ sets out suggested competence
frameworks to codify the appropriate knowledge,
experience, behaviours and skill sets required for
individuals who design, construct, inspect, maintain
and operate higher-risk residential buildings
(although the report suggests widening the safety
regime to other building types). If implemented, the
measures will bring about a major culture and skills
change in the industry with a much more rigorous
approach to training, assessment, third-party
accreditation and oversight; all of which will have
cost and resource implications.
Through the contributions of our members,
volunteers, the Life Safety Working Group (LSWG)
and participation in the CSG’s working group 8
(WG8) on competence for the new statutory role of
building safety manager (a first for the workplace
and FM profession), IWFM has made a significant
contribution to this report, also providing
the Secretariat to WG8 and taking part in two
consultative conferences.
We’re asking our members and the wider the
profession to take part in the consultation, in
particular the recommendations on the building
safety manager role. Our LSWG members have also
taken part in the working groups looking at site
supervisors and project managers.
The report’s proposals will require Government
support for implementation. The Secretary of State
has indicated that it wants to legislate as soon as
possible to implement building safety reforms
and, to underline this commitment, the Chancellor
recently awarded an additional £23 million to the
Building Safety Programme in his Spending Round.
The scope and ambition of the proposed measures
go to the heart of everything the sector does and
will require a substantially higher budget if one of
the biggest shake-ups the industry has ever seen
succeeds in its aim of ensuring that a disaster such
as Grenfell can never happen again.
The Raising the Bar consultation closes on 18
October 2019.
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