65% of letting agents have no qualification. The Government wants to change that.

There is so much legislation in lettings now, and it changes so often, that most agents only ever understand pieces of it. They know what they have to do, but not why. And when you don’t understand why something matters, it is the first thing to slip when the diary is full. That is how good agents end up in breach without ever meaning to.

A qualification changes that. Here is what MARLA is, how you get there, and why the timing matters more than ever.

What is MARLA?

Four little letters, but they carry a lot of weight. MARLA means you are a Member of ARLA Propertymark, the professional body for letting agents, and it is one of the most recognised marks of professionalism in lettings.

Getting there is a real achievement. You pass a Level 3 lettings qualification, build at least a year’s experience in the industry, and then join as a member. And it doesn’t stop there. Members keep learning, with at least 12 hours of professional development every year, and work to Propertymark’s code of conduct. So when a landlord sees MARLA after your name, it tells them you didn’t just pass an exam once. You care about doing the job properly, and you are keeping up.

Why Propertymark?

Firstly, it is the name the industry already knows. Landlords, employers and other agents recognise it, and MARLA after your name means something straight away.

Secondly, Propertymark Qualifications are built for agents. They are designed around the day job of letting and managing property, not written as a general housing course.

And thirdly, it is where regulation is heading. When Lord Best’s working group reported to the Government in 2019, it recommended that every agent should hold at least a Level 3 qualification. Propertymark has campaigned for mandatory qualifications for years, and the Propertymark Level 3 Certificate in Property Agency (CiPA) is the route to the MARLA letters.

Why now? Do letting agents need a qualification yet?

It is long overdue. Lord Best’s working group recommended minimum qualifications back in 2019, and for years very little happened. I have watched the conversation go round in circles.

But this time feels different. In October 2025 the Government described the sector as “lightly regulated” and put minimum qualifications back on the table. A code of practice setting minimum standards for agents is expected later in 2026, with a consultation on mandatory qualifications expected in 2027. And crucially, the industry is now asking for it too. In September 2026, The Lettings Industry Council called for mandatory qualifications and a public register of agents, with Lord Best’s backing. Their research found that 65% of agents hold no property qualification at all.

Whether or not the law arrives, the Renters’ Rights Act has already changed the picture. Since 1 May 2026, tenancies in England have worked differently, and knowledge picked up a few years ago simply does not hold any more. Being unqualified is already a risk, for the agent and for the agency.

What changes when you qualify

By the end of the course, agents stop seeing a checklist and start seeing a system. The right to rent check, the deposit, the written statement of terms and the notice at the end are all connected. Cut a corner at the start of a tenancy and it can cause real problems when the landlord needs the property back, with serious consequences for the agency too.

Understanding the why also means agents can explain it. When a landlord asks “do we really need to bother with that?”, a qualified agent doesn’t just say “it’s the rules”. They can tell the landlord exactly what is at stake. That is when landlords start to trust them.

Take one recent learner, a lettings negotiator six months into the job. Like most people new to lettings, she was facing a huge amount of legislation and learning it second hand from colleagues in the office. They meant well, but they were not always up to speed themselves with the latest changes and court decisions affecting how things must be done.

As we worked through the course, you could see it click. Not just the legislation, but how it all fits with the property itself, with marketing and with how the agency operates. By the end she was a far more confident employee, and a far better representative of her agency.

The qualification doesn’t just teach you the law. It turns you from someone who follows the process into someone who understands it.

Your route to MARLA

1. Take the Propertymark Level 3 Certificate in Property Agency (CiPA), lettings pathway. Four units, each with a live training day and a half day revision session on Zoom, then an exam per unit. The course runs over 26 weeks, with 36 hours of live teaching.
2. Build a year’s experience in lettings. Many learners already have it by the time they finish.
3. Apply to ARLA Propertymark as a member and start using the letters.

Our next open cohort starts on Tuesday 19 January 2027. Enrol early and the online programme is yours to explore over Christmas. Book your place online.

Want to talk it through? Get in touch and I’ll tell you honestly whether it is right for you.

Claudia Brown, Director, LETiQ