Unit 2 moves away from law and regulation into the practical, physical side of agency work: understanding the buildings themselves, the services running through them, and how an agency wins and markets business. It maps to five learning outcomes: health, safety and security; property types and construction; services and environmental considerations; selling agency services; and marketing methods.
Health, safety and security in property agency
An agency has workplace health and safety duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, both for staff and for anyone visiting agency premises. This sits alongside the practical, day-to-day safety awareness needed when working in and around other people’s property.
- Basic fire safety awareness — recognising fire risks in a property (blocked escape routes, faulty electrics, inadequate detection) even where a full fire risk assessment is someone else’s formal responsibility.
- Security of vacant and let property — secure key handling, key safes, and appropriate security measures for an empty property between lettings.
- Lone working — awareness of the risks when conducting solo viewings or valuations, and having a system in place (check-in procedures, shared calendars) to manage that risk.
- Manual handling and general premises safety — basic awareness relevant to office and property visits.
Basic property types and construction methods
Recognising a property’s age and construction type helps an agent understand likely issues and answer basic buyer or tenant questions accurately.
- Period classifications — broadly Georgian (up to 1837), Victorian (1837–1901), Edwardian (1901–1910), 1920s–30s, post-war, and modern builds, each with characteristic features and common defects.
- Wall construction — solid brick walls (common in pre-1920s property, no cavity) versus cavity wall construction (standard from around the 1920s onward, with an air gap and often now insulated).
- Damp-proof course (DPC) — a barrier, usually near ground level, preventing rising damp. Older properties may lack one or have a failed one.
- Foundations and roofing — basic awareness of shallow versus deeper foundations, and pitched versus flat roof construction, since flat roofs typically need more frequent maintenance.
- Common defects — rising and penetrating damp, condensation, subsidence, and timber decay (wet and dry rot), and recognising the visual signs of each at a basic level.
Provision of services and environmental considerations
Every property relies on services, and agents should understand the basics of what is present and how it affects marketability.
- Utilities — mains gas, electricity, water and drainage, and telecoms/broadband provision, including whether a property is on mains services or alternatives (septic tank, private water supply, oil heating).
- Sustainability features — insulation, double or triple glazing, and renewable technology such as solar panels or heat pumps, increasingly relevant to both marketability and EPC rating.
- Energy Performance Certificates — understood here as an environmental and services topic: what the rating reflects, and why it matters to buyers, tenants and (increasingly) lenders.
- Local environmental factors — flood risk, radon gas areas, and contaminated land history can all affect a property’s suitability and insurability, and are worth being aware of even at a basic level.
Basic techniques for selling the services of a property agent
This is about winning instructions — persuading a landlord or vendor to use your agency — not about selling the property itself.
- Differentiating the agency — articulating what sets the agency apart: local knowledge, marketing reach, fee structure, service level.
- The pitch process — preparing for and conducting a valuation or instruction meeting, addressing client concerns, and presenting terms of business clearly.
- Building trust — credentials such as redress scheme membership, CMP cover and professional accreditation are genuine selling points, not just compliance boxes.
- Following up — timely, professional follow-up after a valuation materially affects instruction win rates.
Marketing methods in property agency
Once instructed, an agency has a range of channels and tools available to market a property effectively.
- Property portals — Rightmove and Zoopla remain the dominant channels for most residential marketing.
- Traditional channels — For Sale/To Let boards, local press, and office window displays still have a role, particularly for local visibility.
- Digital and social — social media marketing, email alerts to registered applicants, and an agency’s own website.
- Presentation quality — professional photography, accurate floorplans and well-written descriptions materially affect enquiry levels, and poor presentation is a common source of underperformance.
- Targeting — matching the marketing channel and message to the likely audience for a given property type.
Quick revision checklist
- Name the Act that sets an agency’s basic workplace health and safety duties
- Explain the difference between solid wall and cavity wall construction, and roughly when the change happened
- Describe what a damp-proof course does and what its absence or failure can cause
- List the main utilities and services a property relies on
- Explain why local environmental factors like flood risk or radon matter to an agent
- Describe two techniques for winning a new instruction
- List the main channels available for marketing a property once instructed