A Land agent lives in the world of industrial and public land maintenance, or as we like to say in the business, Right of Way clearing (ROW). ROW encompasses a range of industries, as it maintains safe use of and access to related infrastructure and utilities. More specifically, in the pipeline, transportation, electricity, oil, and gas industries among others.
What’s a Land Agent?
The role of a land agent is not as simple as it sounds. They facilitate a range of projects and are the primary point of contact between the ROW team, landowners, utility companies, archeologists, surveyors, inspectors, residents, law enforcement, and anyone else involved on the scene. Land agents may also call themselves procurement or ROW analysts.
Project Manager
The land agent must memorize company procedures, mandates, and laws while enforcing them and ensuring the team and contractors fully understand. They also negotiate agreements, easements, and tenant consents. Adding to that, land agents facilitate land acquisitions, report data, and relay this information to landowners and other involved parties. All of this while keeping tabs on the project, from start to finish. In doing so, they observe progress, read maps, assess blueprints, and inspect work sites (before, during, and after). Not only that, they note pain points, potential improvements, and other details that are important to improving future projects.
Legal Expert
Land agents facilitate projects and make sure they run smoothly in a legal sense. The person who steps into this role must be diligent, reliable, and extremely detail-oriented. Especially on all laws surrounding utilities and their right of ways. One mistake on paperwork or legal interpretation can cost teams their reputation, projects, or worse. They could put the company at risk for legal repercussions on any oversight. Part of that is inspecting job sites for any potential offenses and making sure equipment is up to code.
Moreover, legalities also surround the team, their certifications and safety training, uniforms, equipment, tools, and machinery they use. From property law, land rights, and permits, to licenses, easements, and training. The land agent knows the ins and outs of the ROW legal system as if they developed it. And that’s not all. They also work to settle damage claims when needed. If one of their projects causes any damage to land or real estate, agents handle the claim. This involves talking with the owner, assessing the legitimacy of the claim, and negotiating a settlement.
Public Relations Liaison
As the primary contact, land agents need to have more than just basic communication skills. They need to understand proper tactics for addressing multiple types of people. For property owners who don’t fully understand project details, land agents will explain it and provide transparency. Creating and maintaining landowner relations and reporting to team members are two very different things, and demand as such. The land agent must also be savvy at talking down upset or confused people of all hierarchies. Adequately trained land agents will understand all policies and procedures, effectively relay them to appropriate parties, and can maintain exceptional landowner and contractor relations.
Necessary Schooling and Education
While starting off can be as simple as waking up one morning and deciding you want to be a ROW land agent or analyst, prerequisites getting certified and hired for the job doesn’t just stop there.
Prospective agents usually have two to four-year college degrees before they begin a specialized certification program. After one year of hands-on experience and training, they may attain an entry-level certificate. Official ROW certification for professional work requires land agents have three to five years of training and experience. Only after approximately five to ten years can land agents get senior professional certifications.
A good land agent knows their industry inside and out and strives for perfection. In a job as dedicated and complex as Right of Way clearing and maintenance, you should expect nothing less. Hiring the wrong person can cost companies a lot of precious time and money from stalled production or legal issues.