Rightmove & Propertymark launch new qualification training to help agents build trust and get ahead of reform

The UK’s biggest property platform Rightmove, and the UK’s leading professional body for property agents Propertymark, have partnered to bring estate and letting agents new training towards two recognised property agency qualifications.

Training for the Propertymark Qualifications Level 3 Certificate in Property Agency (CiPA) is now available to all Rightmove members, included as part of their existing membership. Specialised sales and lettings versions are designed to support agents with training that is most relevant to them.

It’s the latest launch as part of Rightmove’s ongoing investment into education, tools and training to support agents and keep up with an ever-changing landscape of demands and legislation. The training helps teams strengthen their professional expertise, build trust with home-movers and get ahead of possible regulatory change.

The new training has been developed in response to increased demand for training and qualifications, and for agents who have asked for specialised sales or lettings only qualifications on Rightmove.

Qualifications on Rightmove are designed to support standards across the property industry and help agents win the trust and confidence of home-movers. They provide a practical way to evidence professional standards in conversations with vendors, landlords, buyers and tenants. They can also give branches a clear point of difference when explaining their service.

Insights from Rightmove’s consumer research panel highlight how positively home-movers view qualifications. Around half of home-movers surveyed told Rightmove they’d pay more for qualified agents, and over 70% of renters and homeowners believed agents should hold formal qualifications. Over 40% believed regulation already exists, emphasising the expectations for formal qualifications from many home-movers.

The new training comes off the back of the success of the Level 3 Certificate for Estate and Letting Agents (CELA) on Rightmove, first launched in 2022 and now having had over 10,500 agents enroll. CELA can also be used to apply for Propertymark membership in both NAEA and ARLA.

Agent qualifications are also high on the government’s agenda, forming part of its home-moving reform consultation last year. Formal qualifications with Rightmove and Propertymark can help agents prepare early for potential changes, while adding practical knowledge and a recognised credential for their teams as part of their existing membership.

Agents can view Rightmove’s qualification options here: https://hub.rightmove.co.uk/courses/qualification/

Jason Charles, Rightmove’s Head of Education says: “Agents are operating in a market where professional standards, regulation and consumer expectations are all moving quickly. Qualifications give teams a practical way to evidence their expertise, build trust with home-movers and stand out in conversations with vendors and landlords. By working with Propertymark and making this training available through Rightmove membership, we’re helping agents get ahead of potential regulatory change while adding knowledge and confidence to their teams. We’ve already seen agencies use qualifications as a valuable talking point with home-movers.”

Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark comments: “Ensuring property professionals have access to a range of tailored and specific educational opportunities is a fundamental ambition both Propertymark and Rightmove believe passionately about.

“With consumers stating that working with a qualified property professions as being a key expectation, it will become ever more prudent the sector proactively lays provision to stay ahead of forthcoming transformation.

“Our own insight tells us qualification and professional representation are highly valued by consumers, and we are pleased to work with Rightmove to enhance current standards and promote additional levels of sector excellence.”

ENDS

About Rightmove

• Rightmove has the UK’s largest selection of properties for sale and to rent, adds more listings than anyone else
• Latest view from Comscore is over 80% of all time spent on property portals is on Rightmove, and latest view from SimilarWeb is over 70% of time spent on property portals in the UK is on Rightmove (two datasets used across the industry to track time spent on portals)
• Rightmove’s vision is to give everyone the belief that they can make their move by giving people the best place to turn and return to for access to tools and expertise to make it happen
• Users can search Rightmove for residential resale, new homes, rentals, built for rent, commercial property and overseas properties. Rightmove also provide an extensive range of tools and information assisting their home moving journey, including but not limited to: local sold prices, online property valuation, agent visit requests, moving guides, mortgage in principle certification, renovation calculator, extension explorer, home services for renters like utilities, media and insurance, school information, moving guides and sustainability information
• Partners (Rightmove’s customers) include the following key groups: estate agents, letting agents, new homes developers, rental operators, commercial property operators, overseas property agents, financial services operators and home services providers for insurance, utilities and media
• Using the UK’s largest housing datasets, we issue a number of regular reports to track housing market indicators: our monthly House Price Index (established 2002), quarterly Rental Trends Tracker (established 2015), weekly Mortgage Rates Tracker (established 2023) and quarterly Commercial Insights Tracker (established 2024). Historical data is available on request
• Founded in 2000, Rightmove listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2006 and is a member of the FTSE 100 index