Voice from…. the ARL & TPI joint Education & Qualifications Committee
The latest in our Voice from… series, we hear from the ARL & TPI joint Education & Qualifications Committee, Chaired by Jo Green.
Not one to shy away from controversial topics, Jo was only too happy to take up the role of Chair of the Joint ARL & TPI Education & Qualifications Committee a little over two years ago. She is ardent in her belief that the Build to Rent sector shouldn’t just have an ambition to set itself apart, it has a responsibility to do so. Here she shares her thoughts on the important role of the joint committee.
Having been in the Build to Rent space since its arrival in the UK, I am perhaps suitably qualified to remember all the promises that were made; to government, to investors and to the very customers the sector is so committed to serve with a product designed to be far elevated from traditional private rental homes.
In 2012 the government commissioned a report to look at the barriers to institutional investment in the UK. One of the findings of that report was the collective concerns investors had about the quality of property management in the Build to Rent sector. It was part of the recommendations of this report that the industry work towards a professionalisation of the management service.
It was from here that one of the outputs from the subsequently created PRS Taskforce was the formation of the Build to Rent Qualifications, the only professionally recognised qualifications in the industry today.
There is, currently, no mandatory qualification requirement for the Build to Rent sector, but it would be naive to expect it not to come.
2023 saw the introduction of the Social Housing Bill which confers this requirement on all registered providers. The Grenfell Report highlighted the lack of credibly qualified people in key safety roles. Regulation, Health & Safety, Renters Rights are all regularly visited topics in the world of residential property management, and it is likely only a matter of time before this requirement becomes mandatory.
This should not be something the sector waits for. It should be the industry minimum standard.
Build to Rent has built itself on the back of an elevated offering. A higher quality standard of accommodation, amenity offerings and customer service levels, all differentiating the product from those within the private landlord space. Being able to confidently inform all residents within a scheme that the building they have chosen to live in is being managed by professionally qualified staff, trained to the highest level and proficient in ensuring their safety, is surely the minimum standard the sector should be expecting them to accept? Currently the Build to Rent sector is behind the leading leasehold residential management companies who have been prioritising ensuring all property management staff are qualified to a minimum Level 2 standard.
Objectively, not subjectively, this should be the very least the Build to Rent sector should aim for and the very least investors should expect to be assured of.
The role of the ARL and TPI Joint Education & Qualifications Committee is twofold.
The Committee is composed of some of the most experienced Build to Rent professionals in the sector today with the broadest depth of knowledge and is fully representative of each sub-sector of Build to Rent (Co-Living, SFH, Later Living etc.). Collectively, and with the support of the Education team within the TPI, we are responsible for the production of the content for both a Level 2 and Level 4 Ofqual Build to Rent Qualification.
The second objective of the committee is to promote and drive the take-up of the qualifications across the sector.
The quality of the qualifications is exceptional, so it is fair to say we have been hugely successful in our first objective.
In regard to the second objective, although there has been a notable increase in the number of registrations in the last twelve months, according to my calculations we are still working to a ratio of 1 professionally qualified person for every 1,250 residents!
I think almost everyone would agree, these are statistics the industry as a whole shouldn’t be happy about.
Our mission for the 2024/2025 year (running from September) is to work more closely with the ARL to promote the work of the committee across the membership base and to invite feedback on what the barriers to wider take-up are.
We will also be supporting the ARL with their vision of providing multiple levels of educational content for all members, contributing to the Best Practice Guide and forming an integral part of the evolving BTR Code of Practice.
This is most definitely not a committee-only objective, I hope it’s an industry wide one, so please do reach out if you have any thoughts, ideas and/or contributions on how we can achieve what I do believe is a shared mission of raising standards and delivering an industry recognised benchmark.
For more information about the qualifications click here