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Accreditation application form

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 where you gather information to send to us in order to process your application.

    Before you start it is important that you have read and understood the requirements for becoming safeagent accredited.

    • All safeagent accredited firms are required to have current Professional Indemnity Insurance with a minimum limit of indemnity of £100,000 per claim.
    • safeagent operates its own CMP Scheme but also recognises the schemes operated by other regulatory organisations in the sector; PropertyMark, UKALA and RICS.
    • Complying with the safeagent Accounting Standards is one of the key criteria of being a safeagent accredited firm.
    • All clients money must be held in a designated client account set up in the way safeagent requires.
    • There are two government recognised redress schemes you can join: TPOS www.tpos.co.uk The Property Redress Scheme www.theprs.co.uk
    • Full details of the service standards can be found in Monitoring Agents.
Save

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

    Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

  • Your firm's details

  • i.e. Smith & Co LLP or Smith & Co Ltd or Mr A Smith T/A ABC Lettings
  • Only applies for Limited Companies. You can find the 8 digit number on your Companies House listing.
  • Your business name which is different to your registered legal entity.
  • Firm's address

  • Enter your address* ›
    • Additional firm details

    • How long has your firm been trading?

    • Please enter a number greater than or equal to 0.
    • Please enter a number greater than or equal to 0.
    • Please enter a number greater than or equal to 0.
      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

    • You will be required to upload a spreadsheet of your office details. A template file will be provided.
    Save
    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

    Save
    Personal details are required for all Principals, Partners and Directors, for credit reference check purposes.
    Principal, Partner or Director
    • Personal details

    • Addresses

    • Enter your address* ›
      • Other lettings and/or management firms

      • Enter address manually ›
        Principal, Partner or Director
        • Personal details

        • Addresses

        • Enter your address* ›
          • Other lettings or management firms

          • Enter address manually ›
            Principal, Partner or Director
            • Personal details

            • Addresses

            • Enter your address* ›
              • Other lettings or management firms

              • Enter address manually ›
                Principal, Partner or Director
                • Personal details

                • Addresses

                • Enter your address* ›
                  • Other lettings or management firms

                  • Enter address manually ›
                    Principal, Partner or Director
                    • Personal details

                    • Addresses

                    • Enter your address* ›
                      • Other lettings or management firms

                      • Enter address manually ›
                        Principal, Partner or Director
                        • Personal details

                        • Addresses

                        • Enter your address* ›
                          • Other lettings or management firms

                          • Enter address manually ›
                            Principal, Partner or Director
                            • Personal details

                            • Addresses

                            • Enter your address* ›
                              • Other lettings or management firms

                              • Enter address manually ›
                                Principal, Partner or Director
                                • Personal details

                                • Addresses

                                • Enter your address* ›
                                  • Other lettings or management firms

                                  • Enter address manually ›
                                    Principal, Partner or Director
                                    • Personal details

                                    • Addresses

                                    • Enter your address* ›
                                      • Other lettings or management firms

                                      • Enter address manually ›
                                        Principal, Partner or Director
                                        • Personal details

                                        • Addresses

                                        • Enter your address* ›
                                          • Other lettings or management firms

                                          • Enter address manually ›
                                            Save
                                            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 (e.g. PropertyMark, UKALA or RICS). safeagent recognises that the following requirements will be met through a firm's membership of other regulatory organisations:
                                            • Client Accounting Standards
                                            • Professional Indemnity Insurance
                                            • Client Money Protection

                                            Note: safeagent does not recognise CMProtect or MoneyShield which are Client Money Protection schemes and not regulatory organisations

                                            • 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.
                                            Save
                                            Compliance with safeagent Accounting Standards is one of the key criteria of being a safeagent accredited firm.
                                            • For firms trading for less than 12 months at the date of application 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.

                                              Once your firm has been accredited for six months, we will require an Interim Accountant’s Report confirming compliance with safeagent Accounting Standards.

                                              For firms trading for more than 12 months at the date of application we require an Accountant’s Report covering your last Financial Year to be signed by your Accountant and sent to safeagent direct.

                                              Bank confirmation of your firm’s client account(s)

                                              When you apply to safeagent and also on renewal of your accreditation 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.

                                            Save

                                            It is a legal requirement for all lettings and management agents in England to be covered under a CMP Scheme. safeagent is a Government approved CMP Scheme operator. It is a condition of firms applying for safeagent accreditation that they are covered by the safeagent CMP Scheme which protects landlords and tenants in the event of misappropriation of client money by a principal, partner or director of a firm.

                                            • Client Money Protection Scheme (CMP)

                                            • What will it cost my firm to be part of the CMP scheme?

                                              safeagent Annual CMP Scheme Contribution Rates
                                              • For firms holding between £0 - £500,000 - £400 + VAT
                                              • For firms holding between £500,001 - £1m - From £750 + VAT price on application (email info@safeagents.co.uk)
                                              • For firms holding over £1m - price on application (email info@safeagents.co.uk)
                                            • Please enter a number greater than or equal to 0.
                                            • For firms trading for more than 12 months who will supply an Accountant’s Report on application to safeagent we will require your Accountant to confirm the figure you supply to us.

                                            Your firm's Deposit Protection arrangements
                                            • Please indicate the deposit scheme details requested below, if you register deposits with more than one scheme please provide details for all your registrations.

                                            Deposit Protection arrangements
                                            Deposit Protection arrangements
                                            Deposit Protection arrangements
                                            Deposit Protection arrangements
                                            Deposit Protection arrangements
                                            Deposit Protection arrangements
                                            Deposit Protection arrangements
                                            Deposit Protection arrangements
                                            Deposit Protection arrangements
                                            Save
                                            • Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII)

                                              All safeagent licensed companies are required to have Professional Indemnity Insurance with a minimum limit of indemnity of £100,000 any one claim. Once you have completed your application, please forward a copy of your current insurance schedule (usually the first page of the document) which confirms the name of the insured, the level of cover, duration of the policy and the insurer.
                                            • We will verify PII cover directly with Kerry London.
                                            • Your firm’s Terms of Business

                                            • Customer Complaints Procedure

                                            Save
                                              • One-off administration fee £50+VAT (£60) payable on submission of an application.
                                              • Annual accreditation subscription £155+VAT (£186) for a single office firm. For firms with more than one office each additional office pays £77.50+VAT (£93).

                                              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.

                                            Save
                                            • The applicant undertakes to the Approved Letting Scheme Limited T/A safeagent 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 T/A safeagent may:
                                                • contact any relevant authority (including the Competition and 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
                                                • publish the fact of the cessation of applicant’s accreditation (and the circumstances surrounding it) by such means as the Company considers appropriate.
                                                • inform the statutory tenancy deposit schemes and Redress Schemes of the termination of the firm’s accreditation.

                                              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 PropertyMark, UKALA 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:
                                                • Where there is evidence of a firm having a high number of complaints.
                                                • Where a firm fails to comply with a request from the Board to give an underaking to comply with the terms of the Scheme.
                                                • Where a firm refuses to give an undertaking requested by the Chief Executive in relation to non-compliance with safeagent Service Standards following a random customer service audit.
                                                • Where a firm has an unacceptable Accountant’s Report showing failure to comply with safeagent Accounting Standards.
                                                • Where there is evidence of a false declaration on the firm’s application for a safeagent accreditation or on any other material submitted to safeagent on an annual basis

                                              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 T/A safeagent may:

                                              1. contact any relevant authority (including the Competition 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.

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                                            Get in touch

                                            If you have any questions about any aspect of the safeagent accreditation scheme or our professional development programme, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

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                                            Phone

                                            01242 581712

                                            Email

                                            info@safeagents.co.uk

                                            Address

                                            Cheltenham Office Park,
                                            Hatherley Lane,
                                            Cheltenham GL51 6SH

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                                            Approved Letting Scheme Ltd t/a safeagent. Company No 3664069
                                            Registered Office: Cheltenham Office Park, Hatherley Lane, Cheltenham GL51 6SH

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