Right now, anyone can call themselves a managing agent. No qualification, no licence, no minimum standard. That is set to change, and for leaseholders and directors, it is welcome news.
Managing agents handle a great deal: building safety, major works, compliance, insurance, and large sums of leaseholders’ money. Yet, unlike many other property professionals, they have never been required to hold a formal qualification to do any of it.
The government has now committed to addressing that gap. Reform is not yet law, but the direction of travel is clear and the groundwork is already well under way. Here is where things stand and what it could mean for your building.
Where Things Stand Right Now
It helps to separate what has happened from what is still to come.
What Has Already Happened
- The government has confirmed its intention to strengthen the regulation of managing agents, with mandatory professional qualifications forming a minimum requirement.
- It ran a public consultation on those qualifications, which closed in September 2025. Responses are now being analysed.
- Parliament is due to debate the regulation of managing agents, alongside wider leasehold and commonhold reform, in early July 2026.
What Has Not Happened Yet
- No qualification or licence is currently required to operate as a managing agent.
- There is no independent regulator for managing agents in place.
- The detailed framework will be confirmed through future legislation, so implementation timescales are not yet fixed.
In short, change is coming rather than already here. However, the standards being proposed are worth understanding now because they provide a fair benchmark against which any managing agent can be assessed.
What Regulation Is Likely to Bring
The exact rules are still being developed, so nothing is guaranteed. Based on the government’s proposals and the debate so far, the likely framework includes:
- Mandatory professional qualifications to demonstrate competence.
- A clear code of practice setting out minimum service standards.
- Stronger oversight, including the possibility of an independent regulator with powers to act against poor practice.
- Greater transparency around service charges and the way leaseholders’ money is managed.
Put simply, many of the things a good managing agent already does would become the minimum standard expected across the industry.
What It Means for You
If you are a leaseholder, regulation should mean fewer poorly managed blocks, clearer charges, and greater confidence that your money is being looked after properly.
If you are an RMC or RTM director, it should make selecting and holding a managing agent to account simpler, as qualifications and standards will be easier to verify.
There is a wider point too. You do not need to wait for the law to expect a high standard. Everything regulation is aiming to achieve is already available from a good managing agent today, so these reforms provide a useful opportunity to review where your block stands.
How to Judge a Managing Agent Now
Whether or not the new rules have arrived, these questions can tell you a great deal:
- Are they members of a recognised professional body, such as ARLA Propertymark?
- Is your money protected through Client Money Protection (CMP)?
- Are they members of a redress scheme, such as The Property Ombudsman?
- Can they provide clear, itemised service charge accounts?
- Do they hold relevant qualifications and keep their knowledge up to date?
A professional agent will be happy to answer all of these questions. If yours cannot, that is worth knowing.
Where Chelton Brown Stands
We welcome higher standards across the industry because they reflect the way we have always worked. We have looked after property across Northamptonshire since 1975, and our block and estate management service is built around the very principles regulation is seeking to promote: transparent finances, proactive compliance and fire safety, regular inspections, and clear communication.
We are members of ARLA Propertymark, your money is protected through Client Money Protection, and we are members of The Property Ombudsman. We support residential blocks, private estates, RTM companies, freeholders, and resident management companies across Northampton, Daventry, and the wider county.
For us, regulation simply places into law what a good managing agent should already be doing.
This article reflects the position as of June 2026. Leasehold and managing agent reform is evolving quickly, and some details may change as legislation progresses and further measures are confirmed.
