Suzy Lamplugh vanished forty years ago. The estate agent left her London office for a routine appointment and never returned. Now Propertymark has overhauled its personal safety guidance for agents who work alone, urging firms to bring procedures in line with updated recommendations.
The revision addresses a persistent feature of agency life. Staff across sales, lettings, commercial property, auctions, and inventories spend significant time conducting viewings, valuations, and inspections without colleagues nearby. Propertymark wants that reality managed more rigorously.
What the guidance requires
Employers must carry out risk assessments tailored to specific tasks, locations, and individual circumstances, the guidance states. Staff should contribute to developing and reviewing these procedures rather than simply receiving them. Assessments should weigh previous threats or disputes, isolated venues, weak mobile signals, appointments outside business hours, unannounced attendees, and known property hazards.
Training must equip workers to spot warning signs, adapt to shifting situations, handle conflict, and exit safely when needed. Crucially, the guidance explicitly states that staff can decline or reschedule appointments they consider unsafe, without pressure to proceed.
Agencies need functioning systems to log where lone workers are, who they are meeting, and when they should check in. If a check-in is missed or an alarm raised, clear escalation steps must exist. Equipment and emergency arrangements require regular testing, not just initial setup.
The guidance also covers reporting. Agencies should maintain structured channels for staff to report violence, threats, stalking, harassment, and near misses. Kim Lidbury, ARLA Propertymark president, noted that Suzy's disappearance continues to weigh on those working in property and that lone-working risks extend beyond the sector.
Why this matters
Safety failures create liability. If an agency cannot demonstrate documented risk assessments, trained staff, and working check-in systems, the legal exposure is real when something goes wrong. Regulators and courts look for evidence of systematic procedures, not one-off gestures.
The timing is not accidental. Agencies have been expanding headcounts and property portfolios as markets recovered. Propertymark's framework is an explicit push to ensure safety infrastructure grows alongside operational scale, not as an afterthought.
For commercial real estate investors, this matters at portfolio level. Agents managing large lettings books or high-value disposals often send one person to inspect assets, negotiate with tenants, or oversee vacant properties. Those assignments carry the same lone-working profile as residential viewings. Any firm with poor procedures faces reputational and legal risk that can disrupt transactions or sour tenant relationships.
A practical scenario
Say you manage a mid-size agency with five negotiators conducting daily solo viewings across your lettings portfolio. Under the new guidance, you would start by auditing existing procedures against Propertymark's checklist. You might discover that check-in expectations exist but are inconsistently applied. Staff might feel awkward about reporting near misses or minor intimidation from viewers.
The practical fix is straightforward. Implement a shared log updated before every viewing, with expected return time and property address. Set a buddy system where the office contacts the viewing agent thirty minutes after the expected finish. If no reply, escalation follows a documented script. Train staff explicitly on the new empowerment language: they can and should cancel a viewing if instincts say something is wrong. No apology, no penalty.
That change costs almost nothing to implement but demonstrates documented compliance if challenged.
Bottom line
Propertymark's update is the most comprehensive lone-worker revision in years. Agencies that audit their procedures against it will reduce risk, satisfy potential liability standards, and send a clear signal to staff that safety is taken seriously. Investors and brokers working with agencies should ask about their compliance, particularly for commercial mandates where lone inspections of vacant space or development sites are common.
The 40th anniversary of Suzy Lamplugh's disappearance makes this a moment for action, not shelf-ling.
Key takeaways
- Agencies should audit current lone-working procedures against Propertymark's updated framework before year-end
- Check-in systems need documented escalation steps and regular testing, not just initial setup
- Staff must be explicitly told they can cancel appointments on safety grounds without consequence
- Commercial real estate mandates involving solo property inspections carry the same risk profile as residential viewings
Frequently asked questions
Why has Propertymark updated its lone-working guidance now?
The revision coincides with the 40th anniversary of Suzy Lamplugh's disappearance and aims to align safety procedures with ongoing sector expansion and operational growth.
What core actions does the guidance require from agencies?
Firms must conduct task-specific risk assessments, involve staff in developing procedures, provide training on warning signs and exit strategies, and maintain functioning check-in and reporting systems.
Can agents refuse to attend a viewing under the new guidance?
Yes. The guidance explicitly empowers workers to end or rearrange appointments they consider unsafe, with no requirement to proceed against their instincts.
Does the guidance apply to commercial property roles?
Yes. The guidance covers sales, lettings, commercial property, auctions, and inventories, meaning commercial agents conducting solo inspections fall within scope.
What should agencies do first?
Compare existing lone-working procedures against Propertymark's updated checklist, identify gaps, and document an action plan for compliance.