Document Type

Report

Rights

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence

Disciplines

Construction engineering, Business and Management., Law, Interdisciplinary

Publication Details

A report undertaken on behalf of the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA)

Abstract

This report was commissioned by the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA) as an independent investigation of the impact of regulation on Property Service Providers (PSPs) in Ireland.

The number of licensees has increased on an annual basis since the establishment of the Authority; however until now the impact of regulation on PSPs in Ireland is unexplored thus prompting this research.

Data was collected from licensees nationwide in two phases; an online survey administered in August 2018 yielding a 25% response rate (1,207 usable responses received) and a number of semi-structured interviews with PSPs representing each category of licence holder. A large proportion of participants have in excess of a decade of experience within the sector, consequently a wealth of knowledge and experience has informed the research.

The report presents findings from the largest known sample size of PSPs in Ireland, thus findings herein are considered authoritative on the issue.

The report confirms widespread agreement that the property services sector requires regulation to ensure a high standard of service provision is maintained. The current regulation for the most part sufficiently addresses the key functions of the PSP, however, in a small number of instances, the criteria for licence eligibility could be reconsidered.

The overwhelming majority of PSPs who participated in this research perceive the establishment of the Authority as a positive development for the sector. Furthermore, respondents consider the Authority to be effective in discharging its statutory responsibility.

The minimum standard of education required to become eligible to apply for a licence is considered moderately difficult to achieve, however, rather than acting as a barrier to entry, it serves to uphold the standard required to operate within the sector. Some challenges remain in the recruitment of suitably qualified professionals given the shortage of qualified licensed professionals nationwide.


Included in

Real Estate Commons

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