The Letting Agent Code of Practice came into practice in 2018 as part of a broader regulatory framework for Letting Agents in Scotland.
The main headlines of the regulations are as follows:
– A mandatory register for letting agents with an associated “fit and proper persons” test
– Powers to set a training requirement that must be met before an applicant can be accepted on the register
– A means of redress for breaches of the code.
The training requirements have been widely welcomed and puts letting agents in line with other professions which require qualifications and continuing professional development (CPD.)
We have noticed that letting agencies who fully embrace the code and dedicate themselves to CPD find themselves involved in first tier tribunal cases far less. On the other side of the coin, know of letting agents who are unaware of their CPD requirements, sometimes leaving it until it is too late.
Every three years agents are required to complete 20 hours of professional development, 15 of which need to be considered as formal lettings specific training. At Landlord Accreditation Scotland we are proud to have created and deliver the only CPD specific programme covering every aspect of the Letting Agent Code of Practice, The Letting Agent Compliance Programme (LACP) Completed as a set the modules will fulfil your 15-hour formal CPD requirements, however they can be completed independently depending on your teams’ needs.
We know that letting agents who decided to leave their CPD hours to the last minute and fulfil all 15 hours in a hurried and unstructured fashion found that to be very stressful. Achieving a structured approach to your continuing development allows you to make better choices about the sessions you want to attend, allowing you to get the most from any training you attend. Planning in advance mean that you will always find a place on the LACP Programme, which mean you will get not only the best value from your training but what you take away from the session will most definitely make a difference to business practice.
At LAS we work closely with our sister organisation SAL to monitor cases from the first-tier tribunal and have seen some hefty fines come through in response to failures to comply to the Letting Agent Code of Practice. LACP is designed to help you meet the highest standards possible in Scottish letting with confidence. The image above shows the different sections of the code, and in brackets the number of times that section of the code has been brought up as part of any action. It’s easy to see why continuing professional development along the lines of the Letting Agent Code of Practice is vital to anyone letting in Scotland.
There are seven modules in the programme which can be done in any order, delivered virtually, and have been put together taking into account the different roles undertaken by letting agency staff
There is no requirement to complete every module, however many agency owners who have already completed the programme have said that they feel their qualified staff will benefit from attending every session. There is no time limit for completion of the programme, you can work through these at your own pace.
Each module will be delivered over two webinars (with the exception of Module 5) to allow enough time to cover all the required topics. We want to make sure you come away from webinars with more refined practical skills than when you started, and to achieve this, there will be both ‘listening & doing’ activities as the best way to learn is through practice. The slide deck from each module will be available and is filled with helpful live links and examples to help you in your letting business.
Places for this programme fill up extremely quickly, if you are interested in attending you can click this link, send us a message or email, or call the office at 01315532211 and we’ll be happy to help.