Landlord Accreditation Scotland
The LETWELL Programme
LETWELL is the professional development programme for Letting Agents delivered via a partnership between Landlord Accreditation Scotland (LAS) and the CIH Housing Academy (CIH) and leads to the CIH level 3 certificate in letting and managing residential property.
Who is LETWELL for?
The LETWELL programme provides those working in the private rented sector with the opportunity to become professionally qualified.
LETWELL was created to take full account of the Scottish Government’s regulation of letting agents and associated training requirements for specific staff within agencies.
Most importantly it is a qualification for you to either begin or continue your learning and development pathway to professionalism within the private rented sector. This programme is best undertaken by those who are already working in the sector and is designed to provide you with contextual and specialised knowledge that will support you in your current role and help you progress your career.
Why consider LETWELL?
Whether you are working in a letting agency or in a Housing Association dealing with mid-market rentals, gaining a qualification is not only a route to compliance with regulation for your company or organisation, but also a great way to ensure that you are able to perform your role to a high standard, provide an excellent service for landlords, and develop your knowledge of key legislation and best practice to demonstrate your skills and proficiency.
Training comes with a cost but high quality training programmes and qualifications not only benefit individual development, but also add value to lettings businesses and can impact on reducing business risks in respect to regulation and compliance. Demonstrating that staff have high quality learning can enhance your reputation with customers looking for high quality service.
How does LETWELL work?
The learning programme consists of five training courses, each course comprising three virtual training sessions (webinars), each 90 minutes long. The content for each course is delivered over three consecutive days, and attendance of the full programme will be spread over approximately 5 months. In addition to attending all five training courses, five written assignments must also be completed. There is no exam.
Booking and payments
By booking onto the first training course, you commit to attending all five courses (and corresponding training session dates). Course dates and costs are detailed below.
If you or a colleague wish to attend, simply select course 1, add delegate details and make payment. The LAS team will then contact you to discuss next steps. We will also manage the bookings for courses 2-5 on your behalf.
If you would like to discuss the LETWELL Programme in any way, please contact the LAS team on 0131 553 2211 or click the button below.
When can I participate in the LETWELL Programme?
The 2024 programme will provide a mixture of in-person and virtual delivery. The positive comments received over the years tell us learners feel this learning environment is highly supportive and employers tell us this format affords numerous business benefits. LAS understands that meeting fellow LETWELL learners in person is of huge value, allowing delegates to share experiences, make connections, and talk to course tutors in person.
The five compulsory training courses are delivered virtually. Each training course comprises three webinars delivered over three consecutive days. The webinars take place between 2.30 and 4pm on each of these days. Learners must attend every session to complete the LETWELL Programme.
The in-person session which learners find so helpful, is held at the very start of the programme. Although this session is not compulsory, attendance is highly recommended. As well as complementing the formal virtual learning it is where those all-important connections are made. These connections will provide a peer support mechanism during the programme and beyond. The session provides the interactive environment that previous learners said they valued.
LETWELL 2024 Training dates
Course 1: 30/31 January, 1 February
Course 2: 27/28/29 February
Course 3: 26/27/28 March
Course 4: 23/24/25 April
Course 5: 21/22/23 May
LETWELL In-person session
Thursday 25th January (9.30am – 1pm)
How much does LETWELL cost?
LAS Accredited Letting Agents benefit from the best available prices for the programme. Letting Agent Members of SAL receive an excellent discounted rate.
There are two different payment options for the training component:
- Option 1:
Pay for all 5 training courses upfront and receive a 10% discount. - Option 2:
Pay as you go – Pay for course 1 upfront, pay for courses 2 and 3 combined and courses 4 and 5 combined.
Fees for attending the training courses are payable to Landlord Accreditation Scotland directly. All training course fees are inclusive of VAT.
Please be advised that registering for the qualification incurs an additional fee charged by the CIH Housing Academy who will invoice you separately. The cost for the qualification in 2024 is £600 (no VAT is payable on this fee). This amount is payable directly to the CIH Housing Academy and is in addition to fees paid to Landlord Accreditation Scotland to attend the five training courses.
To qualify for the discounted rate, SAL Letting Agent Members must provide their SAL membership number, and if selecting the pay-as-you-go option, SAL membership must be valid at the time of each payment.
All training and qualification fees are payable in advance and places are not secured until payment has been received.
Option 1: Costs for 2024
Pay for all courses up front and get 10% discount
LAS Accredited Rate
The amount payable to LAS per course.
The amount payable to LAS for all 5 courses.
The amount payable to the CIH for the qualification
SAL Letting Agent Member Rate
The amount payable to LAS per course.
The amount payable to LAS for all 5 courses.
The amount payable to the CIH for the qualification
Full Price
The amount payable to LAS per course.
The amount payable to LAS for all 5 courses.
The amount payable to the CIH for the qualification
Option 2: Costs for 2024
Pay as you go
LAS Accredited Rate
The amount payable to LAS per course.
The amount payable to LAS for all 5 courses.
The amount payable to the CIH for the qualification
SAL Letting Agent Member Rate
The amount payable to LAS per course.
The amount payable to LAS for all 5 courses.
The amount payable to the CIH for the qualification
Full Price
The amount payable to LAS per course.
The amount payable to LAS for all 5 courses.
The amount payable to the CIH for the qualification
What’s covered in each course
Course 1
Professional practice for letting agents
Topics covered:
- Common terms of business between landlords and agents.
- Legislation which impacts on the relationship between agent and landlords and tenants.
- Codes of practice and ethics that impact on the relationship between agent, landlord and tenant.
- Key concepts in business development for letting agents.
- Potential opportunities for cross selling and referral opportunities.
- The concept of ‘reflective practice’ for letting professionals.
- The role of feedback in improving performance.
Course 2
Letting residential
property
Topics covered:
- Common tenancy types in Scotland.
- Comparisons of different types of tenancy agreements.
- The legal rights and responsibilities of landlord and tenant.
- The key areas of a market appraisal and advice required from agents.
- How a property should be prepared for letting.
- Procedures for advertising property and arranging viewings.
The law and necessary documents required in setting up a tenancy.
Course 3
Ending tenancies of residential property
Topics covered:
- The process required when a tenant legally ends the tenancy.
- Legislation on notice requirements.
- The process required to end tenancies including serving legal notices to end tenancies.
- The stages in applying to court for possession.
How landlords can avoid actions for harassment and illegal eviction.
Course 4
Property standards for residential properties
Topics covered:
- Health and safety legislation for property that is let.
- The landlord’s repair and maintenance obligations.
- Tenants’ obligations to the repair and upkeep of the property.
- Undertaking routine inspection and maintenance.
- What defines an HMO.
- The additional health and safety and repair requirements that apply to HMO’s.
The scheme of HMO licensing in Scotland.
Course 5
Tenancy management for residential properties
Topics covered:
- Reviewing the rent.
- Processes for collecting rent and managing arrears.
- Assessing other costs involved in letting a property.
- Options available to landlord and tenant to make changes to an agreement during the tenancy.
- How changes to the agreement should be processed.
- Identifying problems that may arise during a tenancy.
Tackling common problems.
What you can expect from your CIH qualification
Programme participants undertaking the assessments leading to the CIH Level 3 certificate in letting and managing residential property, will be registered for the qualification through the CIH Housing Academy as the approved qualification centre.
Candidates must successfully complete all five written assessments and attend all 5 sessions to be considered for the award of the CIH Level 3 certificate in letting and managing residential property.
Candidates will have online access to the CIH learner handbook detailing all policies and procedures. Candidates will also have remote access to their CIH assessor for the duration of their studies on the programme.
The issue of certificates to successful candidates can take around 12-14 weeks from their final assessment submission deadline, although every effort will be made by the CIH Awarding Organisation to ensure certificates are issued to candidates as quickly as possible.
When you receive your CIH certificate, contact Landlord Accreditation Scotland including a copy of your certificate to receive an electronic badge for display on your website/email signature/LinkedIn profile to celebrate your success and promote your professional development.
Hear it from our customers
“The training is easy to follow and again reflects the requirements of the Code The simplified information is easy to relate to your business and this helped consolidate our learning. Among the many benefits to LETWELL training, the most important was our ability to register as a letting agent and the training gave us confidence when speaking to clients. We would most definitely recommend the LETWELL programme of training. We have put all our staff through the Letwell course as we feel it is the most reflective of the requirements of the letting agent code of practice and the course provides the best knowledge for lettings in the sector.”
