Agents get behind SAFEagent Awareness Week 2015

This week over 3,000 letting agents from across the UK will be taking part in the fourth annual SAFEagent Awareness Week 2015.

Those taking part in the event will be aiming to increase awareness amongst consumers of the importance of choosing an agency which is part of a Client Money Protection (CMP) scheme.

CMP is a scheme which provides compensation to landlords and tenants should their agent misappropriate their rent, deposit or other funds.

As of last week, all letting agents must publicise whether or not they offer Client Money Protection.

Chair of the SAFEagent Steering Group, John Midgley, says that many consumers are still not aware that should an agent abscond with any of their funds, there would be little chance of retrieving the money without CMP in place.

Midgley says he welcomes last week's legislation but that he would like to see inclusion in a CMP scheme become a mandatory requirement for all letting agents.

Glynis Frew, managing director of 150 branch agency Hunters, says: "Hunters are delighted to see the industry coming together as a united community to support this initiative."

She says that Hunters always advises its clients to ask agents they are dealing with whether they are part of a CMP scheme. 

Connells is also supporting SAFEagent Awareness Week.

Shane Clothier, branch manager at Connells Sherborne, says that there are still too many people unaware of the risks of using an uninsured agent.

SAFEagent Awareness Week runs from today (June 1) until Friday (June 5). 

Agents and suppliers will be tweeting, publishing messages on their websites and recording videos to show their support for the event.

Your agency can get involved on Twitter using the hashtag: #SAAWeek2015.