Hiring and Sponsoring Estate agents and auctioneers (SOC Code 3555)

Estate Agents and Auctioneers, classified under SOC Code 3555, are essential professionals in the real estate industry, playing a crucial role in property transactions. Their responsibilities encompass a wide range of activities, aimed at facilitating successful sales and purchases of properties. Key aspects of their role include:

• Client Consultation: Discusses clients’ requirements and may provide advice on the purchase of property and land for investment and personal use.
• Property Assessment: Conducts or arranges structural surveys and undertakes necessary valuations for both residential properties and agricultural land.
• Market Strategy: Advises vendors and purchasers on current market prices, ensuring competitive and realistic pricing.
• Property Marketing: Markets properties on behalf of vendors, preparing comprehensive written information, press advertisements, and promotional materials.
• Negotiation Skills: Negotiates sales, purchases, leases, or tenancy agreements, coordinating legal formalities with solicitors, building societies, and other involved parties.
• Auction Management: Prepares inventories of properties for sale, advises vendors on suitable reserve prices, issues catalogues, conducts auctions, notes bids, and officially records sales.

With a thriving real estate market, the demand for skilled estate agents and auctioneers continues to increase, with many companies seeking experienced professionals from abroad. This guide aims to assist HR professionals in understanding the process of hiring and sponsoring estate agents and auctioneers under the UK’s immigration system.

What is SOC Code 3411 for Estate agents and auctioneers?

SOC Code 3555 refers to estate agents and auctioneers who facilitate the buying, selling, and leasing of properties and land. Their responsibilities can include:

• Discussing client requirements: Understanding client needs and advising them on property purchases for investment or personal use.
• Conducting surveys and valuations: Arranging for structural surveys and assessing property or agricultural land values.
• Advising on market prices: Providing insights to vendors and purchasers regarding current market conditions and property values.
• Accompanying clients to view properties: Being present to guide clients during property viewings and facilitate discussions.
• Marketing properties: Creating advertisements, written materials, and press releases to promote properties on behalf of vendors.
• Negotiating transactions: Handling negotiations for property purchases, sales, leases, or tenancy agreements and coordinating legal requirements with involved parties.
• Managing auctions: Preparing inventories, advising on reserve prices, issuing catalogues, overseeing the auction process, recording bids, and finalizing sales.

Estate agents and auctioneers play a vital role in the real estate market, ensuring that transactions are smooth, transparent, and beneficial for all parties involved.

Eligibility to Hire Estate agents and auctioneers (SOC Code 3411)

1. Job Requirements

Estate agents and auctioneers must exhibit a strong understanding of the real estate market and possess specific qualifications or experiences. These may include:

• Client Relations: Ability to discuss and understand client requirements effectively, providing guidance on property investment and acquisition.
• Surveying and Valuation Skills: Experience conducting or arranging structural surveys and property valuations for residential, commercial, or agricultural land.
• Market Analysis: Proficiency in advising clients on current market prices and trends to facilitate informed buying or selling decisions.
• Marketing Acumen: Skills in marketing properties, including preparing detailed written information, press advertisements, and utilizing online platforms.
• Negotiation Expertise: Strong negotiation skills for managing purchases, sales, leases, or tenancy agreements, ensuring legal formalities are adhered to with solicitors and other entities.
• Auction Management: Experience in making inventories of property for sale, advising on suitable reserve prices, and conducting auctions, including managing bids and recording sales.

Education and Experience:

• While formal qualifications may not be mandatory, a background in business, real estate, or a related field can be an asset.

Ensure that the job description aligns with SOC Code 3555 and that the agent's experience and work meet the expectations for the role.

1. Salary Thresholds
2. Use the Minimum Salary Calculator to ensure your salary offer meets immigration requirements.

Sponsoring Estate agents and auctioneers: A Step-by-Step Guide for HR Professionals

Once you’ve confirmed that the role and candidate meet the eligibility requirements, follow this step-by-step guide to sponsoring Estate agents and auctioneers under SOC Code 3555.

Step 1: Obtain a Sponsor Licence

Before hiring non-UK Estate agents and auctioneers, your company or institution must obtain a sponsor licence. This licence enables you to legally sponsor overseas Estate agents and auctioneers under the Skilled Worker Visa program.

• Sponsor Licence Application: Submit documentation proving that your business is legitimate and has a genuine vacancy. Visit the sponsor licence application guide for more information. 
• Sponsor Licence Fees: Small businesses typically pay £574, while larger institutions pay £1,579. For more information, visit the sponsor licence fees guide. 
• Processing Time: Applications typically take up to 8 weeks, but using the Sponsor Licence Priority Service can reduce the processing time to 10 working days.

Once your sponsor licence is approved, you will receive a sponsor licence number, which allows you to assign Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS).

Step 2: Assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)

Once you have your sponsor licence, the next step is to assign a CoS to the Estate agents and auctioneers. This document provides key details about the job and the individual being sponsored.

• Defined vs Undefined CoS: Use a Defined CoS for Estate agents and auctioneers applying from outside the UK, and an Undefined CoS for those already in the UK. Learn more in the Defined & Undefined Certificates of Sponsorship guide. 
• Required Documents: Provide details such as the Estate agents and auctioneers’s portfolio, passport and job offer. Refer to Documents Required for Certificate of Sponsorship for a full list of necessary documents.

Step 3: Apply for the Skilled Worker Visa

Once the CoS is issued, the Estate agents and auctioneers can apply for the Skilled Worker Visa.

• Visa Fees: Fees vary depending on the role and visa length—use the visa fees calculator to estimate the costs. 
• Immigration Skills Charge: Employers are required to pay this charge as part of sponsoring non-UK workers. This is separate from visa fees.

Conducting a Right to Work Check for Estate agents and auctioneers

Before the Estate agents and auctioneers begins working, you must conduct a right to work check to ensure they are legally allowed to work in the UK.

• Manual Right to Work Check: Verify original documents such as the Estate agents and auctioneers’s passport and visa. 
• Online Right to Work Check: If the Estate agents and auctioneers holds an eVisa, you can use the UK government’s online system to verify their right-to-work status.

For more details on how to perform these checks, see the right to work check guide.

Post-Hiring Responsibilities and Compliance

1. Record-Keeping and Reporting  
2. • Record-Keeping: Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of the Estate agents and auctioneers’s employment details, salary and contact information. 
   • Reporting Changes: Report any significant changes to the Estate agents and auctioneers’s role—such as promotions or salary increases—via the Sponsor Management System (SMS).
3. Sponsor Licence Duties and Compliance
4. Failure to comply with your sponsor licence duties can result in penalties or sponsor licence revocation, impacting your ability to sponsor future Estate agents and auctioneerss.

How Borderless Can Help with Sponsoring Estate agents and auctioneers

Sponsoring Estate agents and auctioneers under SOC Code 3555 can be a complex process, but Borderless can simplify it for you. We offer comprehensive support to help you manage the entire sponsorship process.

End-to-End Sponsorship Support

At Borderless, we assist with:

• Sponsor Licence Application: Guiding you through the application process and ensuring all required documents are submitted correctly. 
• Certificate of Sponsorship Assignment: Streamlining the CoS process to make hiring easier. 
• Compliance Management: Helping you stay compliant with immigration laws to avoid penalties.

If you need assistance with hiring or sponsoring Estate agents and auctioneers, get in touch for personalised support.

Conclusion

Hiring and sponsoring Estate agents and auctioneers under SOC Code 3555 can be a rewarding way to enrich the cultural landscape of your organisation. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can successfully navigate the sponsorship process while ensuring compliance with UK immigration laws.

For further guidance, Borderless is ready to assist you with all your sponsorship needs. Contact us for expert advice.