Staff working overtime to process applications “to take our members on a journey …”
LKP / Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation has received a statement at 11.14am today from ARMA addressing its peculiar manner of announcing the membership of ARMA-Q.
Previously, we were informed that any company that had not applied to the more rigorous ARMA-Q regime by January 1 was no longer a member of the trade body.
On that basis, we reported that Countrywide, which said earlier this morning that it had not applied to ARMA-Q, is no longer a member of the trade body.
Later, Michelle Banks, the ARMA chief executive, got in touch (below) to introduce a new deadline of February 1.
So, Countrywide can publicly state, as it is doing so, that it is still a member of ARMA. At least, for another ten days.
After having extended the deadline for existing members to become accredited to January 31, Mrs Banks adds:
“It is therefore sensible of us to wait until then before publishing a full list of accredited members.”
LKP would agree, but “in the interest of openness”, ARMA’s piecemeal Twitter congratulations to accredited companies will continue.
But what leaseholders really want to know is which ARMA members haven’t signed up, or have been culled.
It is suggested that as much as a quarter – surely too many? –of ARMA approximately 300 members may have fallen by the wayside (or been given the push).
That may be extremely bad news for the ARMA coffers, and its staff won’t be getting much for their overtime. But leaseholders won’t complain.
If a tranche of the dodgier ones leave, so much the better.
The statement reads:
“As of 1 February, no managing agent can claim to be an ARMA member unless they have achieved ARMA-Q accreditation. From that date agents who have not achieved accreditation can opt to become associates for a grace period, while they re-apply for accreditation.
“During this period they will not be permitted to display the ARMA logo, or describe themselves as ARMA members. If unsuccessful after the grace period they will be asked to leave.
“Whilst I acknowledge your eagerness to discover the outcome of one particular agent, our concern is to be fair to all our members and their leaseholders.
“We are doing this by treating the accreditation process very seriously.
“Many hours of overtime have been worked by our dedicated team, to ensure that each application is thoroughly vetted, an iterative process which has proved very time-consuming …
“We are taking our members on a journey …”
Readers can read the rest of the statement below.
Michelle Banks,
Perhaps in hindsight it would have been better to launch ARMA-Q in a leap year?
It would have given firms another day to comply!