Shadow housing minister Kevin Hollinrake said neither he nor Kemi Badenoch supported Labour's plans to regulate estate agents.
Mr Hollinrake made the comments in an interview with SKY business journalist Ian King at The Negotiators Conference on Friday, which put him at odds not only with the government but also with previous Conservative policy. 
The Regulation of Estate Agents (RoPA) proposals date back to 2019, when Theresa May's government at the time published the Lord Best Working Group's proposals on how to take regulation in this sector forward.
But successive Conservative housing secretaries have kicked the proposal into the long grass, incurring the wrath of Lord Best. Asked if he supported RoPA, Hollinrake told meeting participants: “I am completely opposed to the proposal, and so is Kemi, and I hope that the proposal does not overstep my authority. ” he said.
“In my view, this industry is much more accountable and provides better service than it has in the past, primarily because it is competitive.Everyone in the business depends on their reputation. and are often similar to the agents who put their names on the table. And they are active in the local community.
“The relief scheme is already delivering significant benefits in terms of consumer outcomes and comes at relatively light costs.”
I brought it to the reservation.
Hollinrake added that he believes it's best to regulate “after the rules” because the rules are set and those who violate them are punished.
Failure to do so would create an army of “box tickers”, much like the FCA oversees the financial sector, which would be more expensive to operate and increase costs for the property industry, he said.
Mr Hollinrake, who founded the real estate agency Hunters, said he would like to see government resources spent on reducing transaction times rather than further regulating agents.
