ARLA prepares for raft of legal and regulation changes in 2018

A raft of regulatory and legal changes for letting agents in Scotland in 2018 is being flagged up by the Association of Residential Letting Agents.

It says in two years time there will be the introduction of a Letting Agent Code of Practice and Client Money Protection north of the border, along with mandatory membership of a redress scheme and new professional qualifications - all coming into effect within a short period of time. 

In a statement, ARLA says it is working closely with the Scottish Government to ensure that the regulation measures are effective, workable and practical. 

“The final details of the qualification requirements are yet to be finalised by the Scottish Minister, however ARLA expects that the most senior person in an agency with operation control over the lettings business will need to be qualified, as will one member of staff in each branch and the minimum level of training required is likely to be a SQCF credit-rated Level 6 Qualification” explains the association.

In order to assist agents in gaining the necessary qualifications and with compliance requirements, ARLA has launched a series of promotional packages available on its website. 

ARLA has also launched a new legal helpline to assist members in Scotland, particularly with the overhaul of tenancy law coming into force through the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016.