Application form - Letting agent accreditation

1 Accreditation requirements

2 Firm details (Head office)

3 Application contact

4 Principals, Partners and Directors

5 Details of other regulatory organisations

6 Accounting Standards

7 Client Money Protection Scheme (CMP)

8 Supporting Documentation

9 safeagent Accreditation Subscription Terms

10 Declaration

11 Confirmation

Before you start

Applying to become safeagent accredited is a 2 part process. Part 1 is completed online in the following pages and captures the relevant information we need to start your application. Part 2 is then taken offline and this is where you gather the evidence before your accreditation can be granted.

Before you start it is important that you have read and understand the requirements for becoming safeagent accredited. Once you have this information to hand, it should take approximately 20 minutes to complete Part 1 of the application.

Accreditation Requirements

We are here to help you through the process so if you have any queries please contact us. Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

The checklist below outlines the information you will be required to provide to complete the application. Please tick below to confirm you have read and understood the requirements.*
- Holds current Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) meeting safeagent requirements
  All safeagent accredited firms are required to have current Professional Indemnity Insurance with a minimum limit of indemnity of £100,000 per claim.
- Belong to an existing Client Money Protection (CMP) Scheme or become part of the safeagent CMP scheme
  safeagent operates its own CMP Scheme but also recognises the schemes operated by other regulatory organisations in the sector; PropertyMark, UKALA and RICS.
- Comply with safeagent Accounting Standards
  Complying with the safeagent Accounting Standards is one of the key criteria of being a safeagent accredited firm.
- Operate a dedicated client account
  All clients money must be held in a designated client account set up in the way safeagent requires.
- Be a member of a Redress Scheme
  There are two government recognised redress schemes you can join: TPOS www.tpos.co.uk The Property Redress Scheme www.theprs.co.uk
- Adherence to safeagent Service Standards
  Full details of the service standards can be found in Monitoring Agents.
- Acknowledgement of safeagent Terms and Conditions

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If you need to come back to finish your application at another time, you can save at the bottom of each page.

Your firm's details
Legal entity*
i.e. Smith & Co LLP or Smith & Co Ltd or Mr A Smith T/A ABC Lettings
Entity type*
Limited company registration number
Only applies for Limited Companies. You can find the 8 digit number on your Companies House listing.
Trading name
Your business name which is different to your registered legal entity.
Additional trading names
Firm's address
Postcode *

The address your firm trades from. This will appear under your entry on the 'Find an Agent' section of the safeagent website.
Enter address manually ›
Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City County / State / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
Additional firm details
How long has your firm been trading?
Years*
Months*
How many offices does your firm have?*
It is a strict requirement of safeagent that all offices of a firm promoting their lettings and management services must be accredited. These offices must be run under the legal entity in which you are applying.
Information to be displayed on your safeagent website entry
Website address*
Email address*
Contact telephone number*
Maintenance / Emergency telephone numbers*
You will be required to upload a spreadsheet of your office details. A template file will be provided.

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Please complete the details of the person you would like us to contact for any matters relating to this application and all administrative matters going forward once your firm has gained accreditation.

Name and contact details
Full name*
Job title*
Email address*
Telephone number*

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safeagent accreditation is available to all firms in the lettings sector, including those who may join through a principal, partner or director's membership of another regulatory organisation (PropertyMark, UKALA or RICS). safeagent recognises that the following requirements will be met through your membership of other regulatory organisations:

Client Accounting Standards
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Client Money Protection

Details of regulatory organisation
Is any principal, partner or director of your firm a current member of PropertyMark, UKALA or RICS and is the firm regulated by one of these organisations?*
- Yes
- No
Which professional body or bodies?*
- PropertyMark
- UKALA
- RICS
PropertyMark membership number*
UKALA membership number*
RICS membership number*
As you are a member of another recognised professional body, you are not required to fill in Step 6, 7 or 8. You will now jump straight to Step 9.

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Compliance with safeagent Accounting Standards is one of the key criteria of being a safeagent accredited firm. Please indicate by ticking below that you have read and understood our Accounting Standards.

Please confirm I have read*
- I confirm
Please enter your firm’s Financial Year End date*
For firms trading for less than 12 months we require an Accountant’s Declaration to be provided direct to us from your Accountant confirming that you have appropriate bookkeeping procedures in place for handling clients’ money.

Note: It is a requirement that once you have been accredited for an initial six month period that we receive an Interim Accountant’s Report confirming compliance with safeagent Accounting Standards. When your safeagent accreditation is issued we will enclose an Interim Accountant's Report form confirming the period the Report should cover and the due date.

For firms trading for more than 12 months we require an Accountant’s Report covering your last Financial Year to be signed off and sent direct to us from your Accountant.

The completed form must be submitted to us direct from your Accountant by hardcopy or email.
Bank confirmation on the set up of your firm’s client account
When you apply to safeagent and also on renewal of your licence annually, we require you to supply a letter from your bank confirming that your Client Account(s) is / are set up correctly. Use the specimen letter and send to your bank with the wording we require them to supply. If you hold a client account(s) at more than one bank you should supply the appropriate letter for each account.

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Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII)
All safeagent licensed companies are required to have Professional Indemnity Insurance with a minimum limit of indemnity of £100,000 per claim.
Is your company's PI Insurance currently supplied by Safeagent preferred provider Kerry London Ltd?*
- Yes
- No
You will be required to send the PII Compliance Certificate to your insurer for completion to verify your policy meets safeagent requirements. If you do not currently have PII in place, you can obtain an instant quote from Kerry London.
We will verify PII cover directly with Kerry London.
Your firm’s Terms of Business
All safeagent firms commit to offering defined standards of customer service. Please supply a copy of your firm’s Terms of Business which should encompass the safeagent Service Standards.
Customer Complaints Procedure
All safeagent accredited firms must be part of a Redress Scheme operating in the sector and have a Customer Complaints Procedure which meets safeagent requirements. If you do not currently have a Customer Complaints Procedure, use the specimen format. Adapt it for your firm and forward to us a copy on your company letterhead. You will note from the specimen format that we require the final stage for complaint handling to be adjudication by a Redress Scheme.
There are two recognised Redress Schemes for agents operating in the private rented sector. Please indicate which scheme you are a part of and if you are a new lettings firm, please indicate which scheme you will be applying to:*
- The Property Ombudsman
- Property Redress Scheme
Redress Scheme membership number*

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- One-off administration fee £50+VAT (£60) payable on submission of an application.
- Annual accreditation subscription £145+VAT (£174) for a single office firm. For firms with more than one office each additional office pays £72.50+VAT (£87).
For firms who do not currently have CMP in place, this will also be due as detailed in step 7 of this form. Should your firm either withdraw the application or fail to meet the criteria to become accredited, the administration fee is non-refundable.

You can pay by BACS or forward a cheque when you submit your application.

BACS payments should be made to:

Account Name: Approved Letting Scheme Ltd

Sort Code: 51-50-14

Account No: 80162452

Cheque payments made payable to Approved Letting Scheme Ltd.

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Undertaking

The applicant undertakes to the Approved Letting Scheme Limited that the applicant’s office(s) as detailed on this form will:
1. Only offer and provide residential lettings and management services which at least meet the standards which have been prescribed (and which I have read) by safeagent and agree to provide clients with a written statement setting out the services our firm provides and the charges.
2. Maintain and operate an appropriate customer complaints procedure which meets the requirements of safeagent and the redress scheme of which you are a member.
3. At the request of the client complainant refer the complaint to a redress scheme once your firm’s in-house complaints procedure has been exhausted and comply with any award so determined within the timescale prescribed by the Scheme.
4. Pay the annual subscription fee and Client Money Protection contribution within one month of the due date. In the event of a firm terminating their accreditation or having their accreditation terminated by safeagent, the annual subscription and Client Money Protection contribution is non-refundable.
5. Maintain Professional Indemnity Insurance to comply with the requirements described in this form.
6. Supply an Accountant’s Report annually within 6 months of the firm’s financial year end satisfying that the firm is complying with the safeagent Accounting Standards for the handling of Client Money.
7. Maintain membership of a recognised Client Money Protection Scheme.
8. Display the Scheme’s logo where customers can see it and in the event of its withdrawal or removal* from the Scheme, nonetheless fulfil the terms of the safeagent accreditation in relation to clients with whom terms of appointment for residential lettings and/or management services were agreed after the applicant joined the Scheme and discontinue use of all material relating to safeagent.
9. In the event of expulsion from safeagent, the applicant firm acknowledges and agrees that, in the event of ceasing to be accredited by the Scheme as a result of any breach by the applicant of the undertakings set out above, the Approved Letting Scheme Limited may:
Expulsion from safeagent

A firm’s safeagent accreditation may be withdrawn in any of the following circumstances in order to uphold the Scheme’s integrity and credibility:
1. If a firm does not comply with the prescribed safeagent Service Standards.
2. If a firm no longer has Professional Indemnity Insurance.
3. If a firm is no longer covered by a Client Money Protection Scheme
4. If re-registration fees have not been paid within one month of the due date.
5. If the firm fails to meet the requirement to provide an Accountant’s Report within 6 months of the firm’s financial year end or, for new firms, fails to provide an Interim Accountant’s Report 6 months after joining the Scheme.
6. For firms becoming safeagent accredited through affiliation with another regulatory organisation, ie where the firm has a principal, partner or director who is a member of NAEA, ARLA or RICS - if membership of the body through which the firm joined safeagent has lapsed been suspended or terminated.
7. If a firm does not comply with any other safeagent accreditation criteria.
8. If the safeagent Board decides upon withdrawal of the accreditation following a referral by the SAFEagent Chief Executive in the following circumstances or any other circumstances the safeagent Chief Executive considers appropriate:
In the event of expulsion from the Scheme, safeagent Chief Executive will notify the firm’s Local Authority or withdrawal of the accreditation. safeagent reserves the right to publish details of expulsions through the media.

Acknowledgement

The applicant firm acknowledges and agrees that, in the event of ceasing to be accredited by the Scheme as a result of any breach by the applicant of the undertakings set out above, the Approved Letting Scheme Limited may:
1. contact any relevant authority (including the Consumer Markets Authority and any Trading Standards Officer) of the fact of cessation of the applicant’s accreditation and the circumstances surrounding such cessation; and/or
2. publish the fact of the cessation of applicant’s accreditation (and the circumstances surrounding it) by such means as the Company considers appropriate.
3. inform the statutory tenancy deposit schemes and Redress Schemes of the termination of the firm’s accreditation.
Declaration

I DECLARE that to the best of my knowledge and belief:
1. that statements set out in the application form are correct
2. I have read and understood and agree to abide by the terms of safeagent accreditation as set out in the application form.
This will be sent to you by the safeagent office for signature by all Principal, Partners and Directors.
*
- I confirm I have read and agree to the above

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Nearly done! We've gathered all the data we need, so you just need to click the Submit button below to send it to us to complete Part 1.

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Before you start

Accreditation Requirements

Your firm's details

Firm's address

Additional firm details

Information to be displayed on your safeagent website entry

Name and contact details

Personal details

Addresses

Other lettings and/or management firms

Personal details

Addresses

Other lettings or management firms

Personal details

Addresses

Other lettings or management firms

Personal details

Addresses

Other lettings or management firms

Personal details

Addresses

Other lettings or management firms

Personal details

Addresses

Other lettings or management firms

Personal details

Addresses

Other lettings or management firms

Personal details

Addresses

Other lettings or management firms

Personal details

Addresses

Other lettings or management firms

Personal details

Addresses

Other lettings or management firms

Details of regulatory organisation

Bank confirmation on the set up of your firm’s client account

Client Money Protection Scheme (CMP)

safeagent Annual CMP Scheme Contribution Rates

Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII)

Your firm’s Terms of Business

Customer Complaints Procedure

Undertaking

Expulsion from safeagent

Acknowledgement

Declaration

Get in touch

Connect with us

Phone

Email

Address