This Wednesday at 1pm, Gareth Wax and Hamish McLay will be joined by Jackie Dyson to reflect on what IPSA membership actually requires. Jackie brings long-standing experience and perspective to the IPSA community, and her involvement adds depth to the discussion around standards, accountability and professional development.
There is still a widespread assumption across parts of the property world that training means a course, a certificate, and a neat box ticked at the end. The reality within IPSA is far more grounded and far more practical.
Most IPSA members arrive with years of hands-on experience behind them. Many have worked within local authorities, dealing directly with planning, land charges or highways data. Others have built independent search practices over decades. What unites them is a deep understanding of how council data is really held, accessed and interpreted, rather than how it is described in guidance notes.
Early training is rooted firmly in the practical. Members need to understand how different councils record planning history, land charges, building control information and highways data. They also need to recognise when records are incomplete, contradictory or shaped by legacy systems. This is where experience matters most, and where newer members often learn alongside those who have been researching council records for many years.
Interpretation sits at the centre of IPSA training. Pulling data is only the starting point. Members are expected to understand what that data means in context, when something should be flagged, and when further investigation is required. This kind of judgement cannot be automated or rushed. It develops over time, through mentoring, shared experience and the pressures of live transactions.
Regulatory awareness runs alongside technical training. Data protection, audit trails, professional indemnity insurance and record keeping are not abstract concepts. They are part of everyday practice. Training reflects the fact that searches are relied upon by solicitors, lenders and clients, often at critical stages in a transaction where clarity really matters.
Local knowledge is treated as a professional skill in its own right. Councils do not operate uniformly. Systems change, responsibilities shift, and historic records do not always migrate cleanly. IPSA members are trained to understand these local variations and to explain them clearly when they have a bearing on a property or a transaction.
Communication is just as important as research. A well-researched search still needs to be presented in a way that supports decision-making. Members are expected to flag risk appropriately, avoid false reassurance, and help conveyancers understand what sits behind the data. That blend of technical knowledge and professional judgement is something Jackie, Gareth and Hamish will reflect on during the discussion.
Training does not stop once someone is established. Continuing professional development happens constantly through member conversations, policy updates, lender changes and shared problem-solving. As regulation evolves and datasets expand, practice adapts alongside them.
Accountability underpins everything. IPSA is a peer-led community. Standards are upheld through engagement and scrutiny rather than distance. Training is reinforced by responsibility, reputation and the expectation that members stand behind their work long after the report has been delivered.
That, in many ways, is the IPSA Kind Of Magic. Training shaped by real experience, judgement built over time, and accountability that lasts.
Watch live or catch up on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@SpillingTheProper-Tea
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