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

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/

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