Regulation is Coming... Will Our Qualifications Be Worth the Paper They’re Written On?

How will Regulation Affect Block Management Qualifications?

At the 2025 TPI Conference, last week, there was one word on everybody's lips. The 'R' word.

I was there with my JFM Block & Estate Management colleagues.

If you work in block or estate management, you’ll know the big topic everyone is talking about right now is regulation. It’s no longer about if managing agents will need formal qualifications, but when, what level, and who will set the rules.

What We Know So Far

At the Conference, Andrew Bulmer made it clear that nothing has yet been finalised. The qualification and licensing framework that’s been circulating around the industry is still only a model, not policy. The government consultation on this closed in September, and everyone, including the professional bodies themselves, is waiting for the official response.

The model that TPI presented at the conference is a likely outline of what could come. It suggests Level 3 qualifications could be required for support or assistant roles, Level 4 for property or block managers, and Level 5 for senior leaders, heads of department and company directors. Alongside that, we can expect mandatory CPD and possibly firm-level licensing. But as Andrew stressed, these are best guesses based on what the government might decide, not confirmed facts.

The Personal Reality Check

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. One very senior professional body leader told me that my MRICS might not necessarily be enough under the new system. Another said that was nonsense - and that it probably would. I’ve worked incredibly hard for that qualification, the long way round, over many years of study and professional practice. So hearing two entirely different opinions from people at the top of the sector really brought home how uncertain things still are.

What is clear is that both qualifications and continuous professional development are becoming increasingly important. Holding a qualification might prove your background, but CPD shows your present-day competence. The days of gaining a qualification once and coasting on it for years are fading fast.

Where TPI and RICS Fit In

At the moment, TPI already offers Ofqual-accredited qualifications at Levels 2, 3 and 4. Level 4 is the current gold standard for property managers, covering leasehold law, service charge management, building safety and governance. There’s talk of a future Level 5 qualification to support those running teams or whole businesses, focusing on leadership, accountability and strategic oversight.

RICS sits in a slightly different position. It isn’t just a qualification body but a global standards organisation. It has refreshed its professional standards for property agency and management, effective from January 2025, which emphasise competence, ethics and accountability. In practice, this means RICS members in property management will be expected to demonstrate ongoing learning and compliance with professional conduct requirements.

What seems likely is that both RICS and TPI will play leading roles in whatever framework emerges. Whether one governs qualifications and the other focuses on regulation, or whether both are approved as recognised awarding bodies, is still to be decided. But it’s hard to imagine a future where either of them isn’t central to the system.

So What Should We Be Doing Now?

For me, it reinforces one simple truth. The sector is moving toward higher standards of competence and accountability. Whether you’re a new starter, an experienced manager or a company director, the smartest thing you can do is invest in your professional development now.

Keep your CPD up to date. Seek out new learning opportunities. Read, attend events, listen to the discussions happening across the industry. If regulation does come in, and it will, those who have been building their skills and knowledge will be ahead of the curve, not scrambling to catch up.

The Bottom Line

Nobody really knows what the exact requirements will be. But we do know what direction we’re heading in. Qualifications and CPD will both matter. Block Management Training will matter. The only question is whether we treat CPD and training as a compliance exercise or as a real chance to raise our professional game.

When the dust settles, the people who’ve kept learning and adapting won’t just meet the new standards, they’ll define them.

Joe Mallon, Founder - The Block Coach