Estate agents might have been deemed more untrustworthy than lawyers and traffic wardens in public polls, but the Royal Agricultural University aims to demonstrate the profession’s value by launching the UK’s first university course in residential estate agency.

The two year, two-day-a-week foundation degree covers modules on valuations, marketing, law, and professional sales practice, as well as surveying, inspecting, and measurement.

Course leader William Leschallas, senior lecturer in the land and property team, reckons estate agents need a diverse set of skills and attributes, from acting as a salesperson to showing clients available properties, helping private buyers/investors buy and sell homes/investment properties, marketing properties for sale and finding clients the perfect home to rent or buy.

Investors

He adds that residential estate agency has become an increasingly complex area of business. Says Leschallas: “The home remains the main asset for most private owners who can afford them and the returns on capital remain the priority for investors.”

The new course, which includes guest lectures from industry professionals, will also introduce trainee agents to the relevance of technology to residential estate agency, including property portals, online agency, social media, client relationship management systems, and software packages to help with compliance.

Although there aren’t specifically any degree courses in becoming a landlord, according to UCAS there are dozens of property-related courses such as at Nottingham Trent University where undergraduates can study Property Finance and Investment and at Portsmouth University where they can study Property Development.

Last year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that he would force universities to limit the number of students taking ‘low-value’ degrees in England, capping courses that do not have a high proportion of graduates getting a professional job, going into postgraduate study or starting a business.