CIELA laying down the rules – Corporate Estate Agents are out!

January 30, 2017

Discussions with independent agents in relation to their frustrations with existing industry bodies have produced one point of view stronger than all others:

Corporate agents manage to infiltrate and take over every organisation in the industry, drowning out the voice and interests of smaller agents, even though those corporates represent the minority of members.

The first proposed rules of entry to the Charter have been published here: http://ciela.co.uk/proposed-outline-charter-membership-rules-and-qualifying-criteria/ and in accordance with EU and British Law on how trade bodies may discriminate when considering membership applications, the totally legal CIELA entrance rules effectively rule out membership by any employee of a corporate estate agency.

CIELA has listened carefully to all the frustrations expressed to it in respect of even the most highly respected other organisations, and concluded that CIELA’s specific points of difference to existing industry bodies must be:

1. No Corporate Membership. CIELA will be an organisation that must always remain a mouthpiece exclusively for independent agents, representing the collective interests and views of the majority of the industry, which is overwhelmingly comprised of small (fewer than 3 outlets) estate and lettings agency businesses. The views of Corporate Estate Agents will be explicitly ignored.

There are some significantly-sized independently owned businesses whose owners may qualify for membership, but given that, for membership selection, CIELA pays no attention to the number of outlets its members have, any such members who apply and are successful in joining, will have no more influence than any other member, even a one-man band agency.

2. Not an advisory organisation. CIELA will not be a regulator, nor will it ever advise anyone how they should run their business. Existing organisations already provide this service adequately to those agents who require it. CIELA will be first and foremost the collective voice of independent owner-managed estate and letting agencies.

3. Individuals Only – Not businesses. CIELA will not be an organisation for businesses, it will be an organisation for the individual owners of qualifying businesses.

We have already received multiple expressions of interest from people who consider themselves highly influential in the industry, applying for Regional Officer positions and asking to be involved to bring their years of industry experience to bear. Whilst CIELA appreciates these approaches, they do not qualify for membership because they are not owner-managers of their own agency businesses, but employees of corporates, or consultants to the industry.

4. All-member votes on any matter required, as often as demanded by members: The only way to truly represent the views of the majority, is to poll the majority on their views on specific topics as they arise. It is proposed that the process work as follows:
– County Officers will raise the most pressing topics from their members with Regional Officers at Regional Meetings.
– Regional Officers, having met with and discussed these matters with all their County/Borough officers (typically an average of 7) will identify the most commonly raised matter, and submit it to the National Committee for debate at the next meeting, (held three times a year).
– The Agenda for all National Committee meetings will be published online to all members prior to each meeting. Each member will be able to see the Agenda, and with one click indicate any item that they feel should be put to a general member vote.
– If more than 35% of all members indicate a preference for a general vote on any given Agenda item, this will automatically trigger a general, nationwide member vote.

– The voting system will be online, will use two-factor authentication (OAuth2), be fully auditable and each member shall have one vote, regardless of the size of their organisation. This system will allow questions to be put to members for voting purposes in very short spaces of time.

County Meetings, Regional Meetings and National Meetings will all be held three times a year. Details of the schedule of meetings can be seen here. http://ciela.co.uk/ciela-committee-meeting-dates/

EAN Content

Content shared by this account is either news shared free by third parties or sponsored (paid for) content from third parties. Please be advised that links to third party websites are not endorsed by Estate Agent Networking - Please do your own research before committing to any third party business promoted on our website. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

You May Also Enjoy

Home and Living

Home longevity spas tipped to become the next must-have in prime property

Longevity expert has noticed a huge influx in home spas from investors Country and Townhouse reported that wellness is expected in luxury homes Ralph Montague discusses core shifts he’s seen over the past two years Once, cinema rooms, wine cellars and home gyms were considered luxury home features. Now, the next major trend in prime…
Read More →
Breaking News

Nationwide House Price Index for April 2026 – Thoughts from the Industry

House prices increased by 0.4% between March 2026 and April 2026. This was a weaker rate of monthly growth compared to the previous month (0.9%). Annual growth sat at 3% in April 2026, with this annual rate of growth increasing from 2.2% versus March 2026. The average UK house price now stands at £278,889.  …
Read More →
Breaking News

House price growth remained resilient in April

UK annual house price growth picked up to 3.0% in April, from 2.2% in March House prices were up 0.4% month on month Headlines Apr-26 Mar-26 Monthly Index* 554.8 552.7 Monthly Change* 0.4% 0.9% Annual Change 3.0% 2.2% Average Price (not seasonally adjusted) £278,880 £277,186 * Seasonally adjusted figure (note that monthly % changes are…
Read More →
Breaking News

Homeowners shift mortgage strategy amid economic uncertainty

Middle East conflict prompts Brits to rethink housing plans 27 per cent of homeowners report overpaying on their mortgage to get ahead of potential future interest rate rises 20 per cent of those remortgaging are looking to lock in a new rate as soon as possible in case of future volatility Barclays Mortgage data shows…
Read More →
Breaking News

Today is the day your rights change: New Renters’ Rights rules now in force for tenants across England

Today marks a major change for tenants across England as the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 comes into force, significantly strengthening rights and changing how renting works in practice. From today, the long-standing system of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions ends, meaning tenants can no longer be removed without a specific legal reason.…
Read More →
Home and Living

Mould Tops List of Bathroom Red Flags For Homebuyers

Mould, Space & Water Pressure: 3 Bathroom Deal-breakers Affecting House Sales This Spring   Almost 9 in 10 (88%) Brits say at least one bathroom issue would put them off making an offer on a house.   Mould (60%), lack of space (44%), and water pressure (37%) are the top three deal-breakers, with concern intensifying…
Read More →