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 programme, which was created specifically for Scottish letting professionals, takes 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, three written assessments must also be completed. There is no exam.
Booking and payments
By booking onto the first training course, you are committing to attend all five courses (and corresponding training session dates). If you would like to book a place on the 2023 LETWELL programme, simply click below to book the first course.
Select the number of places you desire, add delegate details and make payment for course 1. The LAS team will then be in touch to discuss your preferred payment option. Please do not worry about booking courses 2-5 – the LAS team will do this on your behalf.
When can I participate in the LETWELL Programme?
The 2023 programme will provide a mixture of in-person delivery and virtual delivery. The virtual format was introduced in 2020 to account for restrictions linked to Covid-19. The positive comments received in the following years tell us learners still feel this learning environment is highly supportive and employers tell us this format affords numerous business benefits. LAS however believe face-to-face learning is of huge value, allowing delegates to meet course tutors in person, share experiences and make connections. For these reasons we are delighted to be reintroducing an element of in-person contact to the programme.
The five compulsory courses will be delivered virtually, with each training course comprising three webinars delivered over three consecutive days. To complete the LETWELL Programme, it is necessary to attend every training session. Course dates for 2023 are as follows:
- Course 1: 24/25/26 January 2023
- Course 2: 21/22/23 February 2023
- Course 3: 21/22/23 March 2023
- Course 4: 18/19/20 April 2023
- Course 5: 16/17/18 May 2023
By booking onto the first training course, you are committing to attend all five courses (and corresponding training session dates) as specified above.
The face-to-face sessions are not compulsory. These will compliment the formal online learning and are designed to offer the in-person interactive environment that previous learners said they valued. Attendance is entirely optional, and you may wish to join us for one day or both days. Each session will take place at the Novotel Hotel Edinburgh Park in Edinburgh and will run from 9.30am-1pm. There is no additional fee to attend the face-to-face sessions.
- Thursday 19th January 2023
- Thursday 13th April 2023
LETWELL course dates
24/25/26 January 2023
Course 2:
21/22/23 February 2023
Course 3:
21/22/23 March 2023
Course 4:
18/19/20 April 2023
Course 5:
16/17/18 May 2023
All upcoming courses
LETWELL face-to-face dates
Edinburgh Park
Thursday 19th January 2023 9.30am-1pm
Thursday 13th April 2023 9.30am-1pm
The face-to-face sessions are not compulsory
How much does LETWELL cost?
Landlord Accreditation Scotland is pleased to offer 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.
Costs for 2023 are shown below
Please be advised that registering for the qualification incurs an additional £550 fee charged by the CIH Housing Academy who will invoice you separately. The cost of the qualification is payable directly to the CIH Housing Academy, and this fee is in addition to fees paid to Landlord Accreditation Scotland to attend the five training courses.
All training and qualification fees are payable in advance.
Option 1:
Pay for all courses up front (10% discount)
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
CLA 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:
Pay as you go
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
CLA 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 qualification
Programme participants wishing to undertake 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 have to successfully complete all 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. Currently, there are three written assessments.
Candidates will have online access to a learner handbook detailing all policies and procedures. Candidates will also have remote access to their assessor for the duration of their studies on the programme.
The issue of certificates to successful candidates can take in the region of 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.
Upon being issued your certificate, contact Landlord Accreditation Scotland directly to receive an electronic badge for display on your website or email signature. Certification will need to be shown before this badge is issued
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.”
“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.”.