Does Engel & Volkers reserve the right to charge a fee for attendance at additional training sessions?
Engel_Volkers Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
ning | Column 4 Location | |---|---|---|---| | Engel & Völkers Overview, Culture and Introduction | 2 hours | | Virtual via web-based training platform as determined by us | We reserve the right to offer additional, ongoing and supplemental training sessions that may apply only to certain franchisees and/or such franchisee's sales advisors or employees at times and locations designated by us. We may make certain of these training sessions mandatory for you, and we reserve the right to change a fee for attendance at such training. As the Engel & Völkers System grows and evolves some training we currently offer may change, and other training may become needed or advisable. Therefore, during the term of your Franchise Agreement, the training offering and requirements are likely to change.
It is mandatory to attend the LPT training for an individual Franchisee, the Principals, or the broker manager (if the individual Franchisee or Principals will not be active in the Residential Real Estate Brokerage), for Sales Advisors and staff members supporting your Sales Advisors to attend Engel & Völkers Engage, and for at least one staff member working at the franchised Business who supports Sales Advisors to attend SPT training. However, there is no specific test or other requirement that the training be completed to our satisfaction.
At this time, we charge existing franchisees who qualify for the option to obtain the Development Services Designation and/or the Commercial Designation. Both designations require participation in certain training programs. There is no separate training fee for these trainings, but you must pay a designation fee, depending on the number of qualifying Residential Real Estate Brokerages and designees that will be using the designation. Currently, for the Development Services Designation the 12 month designation fee is scaled as follows: a) if you have 1 or 2 qualifying Residential Real Estate Brokerages with up to 5 designees the fee for the 12 months of the designation is $2,500, b) if you have 3 up to 5 qualifying Residential Real Estate Brokerages with a total of up to 10 designees the fee for the 12 month period is $4,000, and c) if you have between 6 and 9 Residential Real Estate Brokerages with up to 15 designees each the fee for the 12 months is $6,000.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 43–54)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Engel & Volkers' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Engel & Volkers reserves the right to charge a fee for attendance at additional training sessions. Engel & Volkers may offer additional, ongoing, and supplemental training sessions that apply to certain franchisees, their sales advisors, or employees. Engel & Volkers may make certain training sessions mandatory and reserves the right to change the fee for attendance.
The FDD states that franchisees and their designated employees are required to attend additional training, supplemental, or refresher courses in accordance with the Engel & Volkers training program and to pay the then-current fees. Engel & Volkers may delegate the organization and execution of mandatory training courses and voluntary seminars to an independent training center. The frequency of additional training depends on the individual franchisee's circumstances. Franchisees are responsible for the costs of attendance, including travel, accommodation, out-of-pocket expenses, and salaries for employees and sales advisors.
If a franchisee requests training at their location and Engel & Volkers agrees, the franchisee must pay the trainer's expenses for travel, accommodation, food, and other out-of-pocket expenses, as well as the costs for the training location, food and beverage costs for the training participants, and any related service fees. This means that franchisees should budget not only for initial training fees but also for ongoing training expenses, which can include attendance fees, travel, lodging, and other related costs.