The Association of Residential Letting Agents is hitting the small screen with a television advert aimed at reminding consumers of the importance of choosing a licensed agent.
From next week, adverts for ARLA will be broadcast on channels including ITV4, Home, Sky Atlantic, Sky Livingit and Discovery Home & Health.
Separate adverts promoting members of the National Association of Estate Agents are airing on the same channels from this week.
The organisations said the campaigns have been designed to reflect the importance of sound choices when appointing an agent to work with on any aspect of property ownership or rental.
Ian Potter, Managing Director of ARLA, said: “Millions of tenants rely on the private rented sector for their homes, and using an ARLA member is the best way to ensure you are dealing with a professional agent.
"As well as offering the best possible advice, the ARLA code of conduct also gives tenants peace of mind and a route to redress if anything does go wrong. We hope this advertising campaign will help to further boost our members’ profile nationally and get consumers looking for the logo locally.”
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Comments
The large multiples have sorts of training schemes and often use ARLA, but who will offer training to the individual staff of the smaller firms if not ARLA?
P.S. In my opinion 'ARLA Licensed' , as opposed to 'ARLA Member' wording is confusing, both have merit but they are not marketed properly. It should be sorted out.
Sarah Holdsworth
Respectfully - its immaterial. If you can be a member of ARLA and deal with tenants and landlords whilst not having any PI Insurance or CMP, then what is the point in ARLA?
If we tell a customer we are ARLA licensed and offer this protection and 'Scarper Estates' manager goes out and is asked 'Are you a member of ARLA' and they say (honestly) yes - then its misleading as the customer will naturally assume they offer the same.
On which planet do you live?
Sarah Holdsworth - As an ARLA regional spokesperson - are you stating that an individual member cannot put the ARLA logo on their own business card? I think you will find they can - but they cant use it on the website or in conjunction with the word licensed
But you will confirm that they can tell landlords they are members of ARLA and have 'MARLA' or 'FARLA' after their name despite offering NO protection to the consumer.
How are the public meant to know the difference?
Its a disgrace yet you defend it. It cheapens the ARLA ethos.
I am fed up with local managers in dodgy firms giving out cards with 'MARLA' on it quite legitimately yet offering none of the protection we do,.
I find it a sign of the times, that ARLA feel threatened enough to consider advertising on TV. It would appear that they see the shift away from the agency model to be a serious enough threat to their business model to induce mainstream promotional activity like this. As they say in the matrix, "That is the sound of inevitability Mr Anderson"... The agency model is dead...
Does this also have something to do with the potential government regulation of this market, which would again make ARLA redundant?
Who knows their reasons, but there is something going on in the market, and the shift is going to be sizeable.
About time in my opinion.
@Stonehenge Thanks for that you have confirmed my point. Perhaps ARLA can now explain why certain firms are displaying their logo when none of their directors are qualified but their staff are??
If you look on the ARLA website under "Memebr benefits" it sets down the requirments to use the ARLA Logo. Licensed members can use it on all advertising material, but individual members can use it only on perosnal stationery i.e. business cards even it appears if the firm are not licensed members.
Here's the actual wording:-
*Respect and Recognition Whether you are a business owner or an employee, use of the designatory letters MARLA or FARLA after your name tells clients and colleagues that you are a qualified professional and belong to a reputable, recognised professional body.
*Use of the Licensed ARLA logo - on either your personal stationary or, if you are an ARLA Licensed Firm, on advertising and websites.
@ sarah A member of my staff is a member of ARLA and I received a phone call recently from ARLA advising she cannot use ARLA logo etc unless a Director has passed the ARLA entrance requirements. I am not a member of ARLA does that mean all I need to do is show my PI and CMP etc and I can use their logo?
In response to Mo - Upad have the ARLA Licensed logo on their website which would indicate that they have PI, CMP etc not that a member of staff has passed the ARLA qualification. You can raise it directly with ARLA head office if you think it is being displayed incorrectly?
Perhaps ARLA should look at online agencies such as Upad who have their logos on their site because an employee has taken an online course
can you name them?
As an ARLA member and Regional Representative I would like to try and reassure the various contributors that it is already against ARLA rules to use any of our logos on any stationery or business cards if they are not Licensed. There is also changes in the pipeline to stop the ambiguity of the ARLA member and ARLA licensed member issues. You must report mis-use of the ARLA logo to Arbon House as they are interested and they will deal with it, but if you don't tell them they can't do anything. We really are trying to get it right and our membership is increasing steadily.
Totally agree with "Arla Member" - locally we have an agent who advertises on his website "Arla Qualified" - when I asked him what he meant he said he had done a course and had the certificate to prove it!!!! Can I be bothered to report him to ARLA? No, because I do not believe that ARLA will do anything about it; I think they are less interested in maintaining standards of professionalism and more focused on commercialising the website and industry magazine! . They are spending money on adverts on several non-mainstream tv channels - why not one good one on a mainstream channel that has more chance of being watched by prospective landlords and tenants? The new ARLA website is covered in adverts, the new CPD online form is a nightmare to use, Agreement magazine is full of adverts with a bit of industry info added. All we hear from ARLA is "Members must publicise the benefits of using an ARLA Agent" - isn't that their remit?
The could have advertised on primetime mainstream channels had they not wasted so much on Property Live
"a separate point which I trust Arla will address"
They haven't done so in the last 4 years so the question is what is more important to them? Members or consumer protection?
Why so much negativity? Great move Arla, much of the public do not know who Arla is or what they and their members offer. This has been long needed and can only do good (although I sympathise with the first poster - a separate point which I trust Arla will address).
The good news is non ARLA members can now buy PI + CMP http://psrib.com/chartered-surveyors-property-professionals/
wonder if they will be mentioning all the ARLA reguistered agents over the last few years who did a moonlight flit with tenant & landlrd money?
ARLA should have used the money spent on a pointless tv advert more wisely and turned it on the industry itself if they wish to make such a difference
Good stuff - shame it's not on channels anyone actually watches
"choosing a licensed agent."
This issue here is that whilst LICENSED ARLA firms have CMP, PI Insurance etc, individual members of firms who do not can still use the ARLA logo on their personal stationery giving a false impression to the public that they are protected when in fact all that individual member has done is passed an exam.
This dichotomy is confusing for the public. It's also hard on we Licensed Members who compete with firms with no such regulation but who give the impression they do simply because their local lettings manager has a ARLA badge on their business card.