The Property Institute - CPD Policy for Individual Members
Continuing professional development
Continuing professional development (CPD) is essential for the maintenance and
enhancement of your professional skills.
Becoming a member of the IRPM shows that you meet our initial competence
requirements. To remain a member you must continue learning and developing your knowledge throughout your career.
Your CPD should include:
• technical knowledge and its application
• skills and expertise
• changes to legislation and regulation in your area of work
CPD keywords and terms
Member: in this context ‘member’ refers to all levels of IRPM membership.
TPI CPD update form: allows you to record all of your CPD activity and is available to all members free of charge.
Formal CPD: planned activity undertaken for the express purpose of learning.
Informal CPD: unplanned activity with no predetermined learning objective or
outcome, such as reading.
Soft skills: personal qualities and attitudes that help when working with others,
such as good communication, decision making, leadership, problem solving.
Annual CPD requirement
All TPI Individuals members are expected to carry out and record a minimum of 15 hours CPD every year. Your annual CPD record must be completed by 31 January of the following year.
Your 15 hours of CPD activities should be divided up as detailed below. At least ten hours of technical learning:
• credit control, building maintenance, property law, service charge
accounting, health and safety training
• minimum seven hours must be formal learning – workshops, conferences,
courses, seminars, structured in-house training, etc
• up to three hours can be informal learning – personal study, revision, reading
journals, etc
Up to five hours of soft skill learning:
• coaching, motivating, leadership, presentation, personal computing,
dealing with difficult customers, etc
• minimum three hours must be formal learning – workshops, conferences,
courses, seminars, structured in-house training, etc
• up to two hours can be informal learning – personal study, revision, reading
journals, etc
Notes for recording your CPD
The TPI update form is designed for you to record all of your CPD activity. For each activity, you should also reflect on what you have learnt and how that learning will benefit you in the future.
Any CPD activity you record should be relevant to your current role and any
changes you anticipate happening.
Reading may be counted as formal learning only when the reading matter is
specific, such as for exam revision. Whenever you record reading as formal learning, you must either list the title and author of the publication, or list the qualification gained through your reading and learning.
When recording your attendance at events, TPI will accept no more than eight
hours CPD for a full- day course and four hours for a half-day course, excluding
breaks and lunches. You must also provide proof of attendance.
As a TPI Individual member, you are expected to always meet any internal CPD
requirements set by your own employer or firm. If set higher, your firm’s CPD
requirements will take precedence over IRPM requirements.
Please also note that TPI CPD requirements may alter in line with:
• changes made by regulators to legislation/regulation within the property
management industry
• changes set and determined by the IRPM Board of Directors
What doesn’t count towards CPD
The following activities cannot count towards your annual 15 hours CPD:
• appraisals/one-to-ones/performance reviews
• meetings where no measurable learning has taken place
• learning not relevant to property management
• activities that are part of your job role, rather than directed learning
• social events
Auditing your CPD
Each year we inspect a random sample of members’ CPD records. As part of our
inspection, we may request evidence of your formal CPD activity.
If you are a member of another professional organisation who require CPD activity, where relevant you can also use that learning for your TPI record. We may ask you for a copy of CPD records you have submitted to other organisations.
Failure to complete your CPD
If you fail to meet the TPI CPD requirements, we may impose any of the following
sanctions:
• written warning
• personal development plan
• suspension of your membership until you meet our CPD requirements
CPD reductions and concessions
The CPD requirement for anyone joining TPI part way through the year is calculated pro rata at 1.25 hours for each month.
Members on maternity, paternity or adoption leave or on sabbatical are required to log half the standard CPD requirement, that is 7.5 hours per year.
Other concessions or reductions to individual CPD requirements may be granted
on a discretionary basis.
If you are on statutory leave for more than three months, you can request a reduced annual CPD target based on the number of months you have been off work.
Concession requests are considered on a case- by-case basis and TPI will let you know whether your request has been approved.
There can be no pro rata arrangements for unemployed or part-time employed
members. Retired members are exempt from meeting TPI’s CPD requirements.