Six members of staff from Belvoir Shrewsbury and Belvoir Stafford have passed the BTEC Level 4 Professional Diploma in Residential Lettings and Management, a course run by The Guild of Letting & Management.
Proprietor Paul Wallace-Tarry, lettings negotiator Victoria Keeble, accounts manager Amanda Palmer and property manager Nicky Moreton from Belvoir’s Shrewsbury office completed the course, along with proprietor of Belvoir Stafford Adrian Walton and Belvoir Stafford’s office manager Julie Andow-Giles. Paul Wallace-Tarry, Amanda Palmer, Adrian Walton and Julie Andow-Giles achieved a distinction.
The eight month course covered all aspects of the lettings industry, including property management, law and legislation, marketing, human rights, appraisals and how to manage a business. Participants also had to complete nine days of training, plus write 18 extended essays, a 6,000 word project and sit a three hour exam.
‘I wanted to do the course for my own education, plus to increase my ability to understand the business and to run the office in the most efficient way possible. Three of my staff completed the diploma too. I felt it was important for them to participate as it would widen their expertise and give them confidence when on the phone or face to face with clients. I saw the course as an opportunity to improve the professional nature of the whole business,’ said Paul Wallace-Tarry of Belvoir Shrewsbury.
‘During the course we learnt an awful lot about various aspects of lettings and the intricacy of the business – from advertising and the law and legislation, to the complexities of running an office. It was quite challenging at times as the course involved about 11 or 12 days out of the office in total, plus it included writing two 1,000 word essays every three weeks, each which took about half a day to research and write. In addition we had to prepare ourselves for a three hour exam, as well as compile a 6,000 word project. All of this was done in our own time,’ he explained.
Proprietor of Belvoir Stafford Adrian Walton said that staff training is extremely important because it is the key to running a successful business. ‘This is especially significant in the lettings industry, which has many legal elements. It is vitally important that we are aware of and up to date with relevant legislation on behalf of our landlords,’ he added.
‘Although it is not a mandatory requirement for letting agents and property managers to be qualified, we have seen an increase in the demand for qualifications within the sector. The value of vocational learning for business and employers has never been more evident and investment in vocational education and training is regarded as a prerequisite of competitive success,’ said Susie Crolla, managing director of The Guild of Lettings and The Letting Training Centre.
