Lettings agents urged to use webinars to keep up with compliance issues

Sally Lawson of Agent Rainmaker writes:

Online information sessions are a vital way to network with landlords and showcase your expertise.

That’s what letting agent Ali Durrant is saying, having run webinars regularly as part of Concentric Sales & Lettings and the wider Agent Rainmaker group founded by former ARLA president Sally Lawson.

The team switched from in-person seminars to virtual webinars during the pandemic, but have no plans to stop sharing online content after it has proved extremely popular. Being able to listen in any location and at any time via the recordings of the live sessions are just two reasons landlords are drawn towards this type of event.

Ali explains: “We regularly have between 300 and 500 landlords sign up to attend a webinar, with around half watching live – which means they benefit from the interactive element and joining in with the Q&A session – and the other half watching later – meaning they can fit the session around their busy schedule.

“The aim of the webinars is to educate attendees about specific elements of compliance – with more than 170 pieces of legislation governing the lettings industry, there’s certainly a big demand for experts like ourselves to share information which will support landlords to ensure they’re adhering to the regulations.”

Landlords can also benefit from ongoing support from the team, should they chose to, by undertaking a tenancy health check to highlight any areas where they may need to adapt or refine their processes to ensure full compliance.

“The risks associated with non-compliance are huge, so we know landlords are grateful to have access to the expert information from the team – whether it’s a specific regulation or updated guidance they want to understand more about, or whether they’re concerned generally about ensuring their portfolio meets all of the standards expected. 

“We have been able to build a fantastic community of landlords through the webinars – who understand the value of having a letting agent to rely on, and comprehend just how vital compliance is whether they own one property or hundreds.”