With the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill being considered in the House of Lords today, shortly before progressing to the House of Commons to be debated, Halifax Estate Agents is making a last-minute call for the government to go even further.

Under the bill estate agents will be required to sign up to an independent ombudsman with the power to award compensation to buyers and sellers.

It will also include a proposal to ban any agents from operating if it refuses to sign up to an ombudsman.

Although applauding the reforms, Halifax said the government should go further to tighten up industry standards by advocating the licensing of all estate agents through approved bodies.

Halifax is calling for:

• The licensing of all estate agents through approved bodies, including existing professional institutions.
• Minimum training and competency standards.
• A summary box on all agency agreements to improve customer clarity and choice: HEA says it will be the first estate agency to introduce this in England and Wales from the beginning of this year.
• New national quality standards to be defined through consultation.

Peter Bolton King, chief executive at the National Association of Estate Agents welcomed the Halifax call and said, “We have been calling for the government to introduce better regulation of estate agency through licensing for some time now and are delighted that Halifax Estate Agents has come out in support of this view.”

However, the association wants to see licensing with a little ‘l’. “We believe there is no need for the government to implement complicated and costly new legislation that will only serve to increase the burden of red tape,” added Peter Bolton King.