An undercover investigation has revealed some estate agents are abusing their clients' trust. KERRY ANN EUSTICE asked agents in your area what they thought about the expose.
The forgery of signatures, dramatically under and over-valuing properties and even supplying fake passports and payslips is nothing out of the ordinary in estate agency if you are to believe the BBC's recent Whistleblower programme.
The show, aired last Tuesday (March 21), saw the BBC journalist Anna Adams pose as an estate agent in an attempt to expose malpractice.
Working undercover, she filmed agents misleading their vendors on price and witnessed employees tampering with legal documents.
The findings sent chills down the spine of the property industry and have without doubt left many people in the process of, or planning to, buy or sell a home unsure of whether they can trust their estate agent. But how much of a surprise has it come to other agents?
According to Adrian Lawrence, managing director of George Proctor's Executive and Country Homes, the behaviour seen on Whistleblower is not unheard of and he wants to see it finally come to a stop.
He said: "Everyone has a different opinion of estate agents depending on how it went with their own house buying or selling process and the programme certainly picked out the worst.
"But one thing is clear, estate agents should be made to have a professional qualification.
"It is good the programme has highlighted the problems and hopefully now all the reputable estate agents will be getting more business."
He added: "We have a reputation which has been built up over 60 years and know the behaviour shown on the show is common practice, but who's policing it?"
Adrian advises vendors to always be on their guard. He suggests sellers get three or four valuations and urges people to ensure their agent has marketed their property to maximum effect.
Do not accept an offer until it has been advertised in News Shopper, for example, where the largest number of buyers have had the opportunity to see it, he says.
Simon Hughes, director of Charles Conran Financial Services, agrees estate agency has been allowed to operate without regulation for too long and this has opened the door for rogue traders.
He said: "I'd heard about this sort of thing before developers and agents taking "back handers" to undersell homes. It's a disgusting practice and if I found out it was happening in my business the agent would be straight out the door."
He added: "We have had clients come to us and ask for dodgy documents to help them get a mortgage but that's not the sort of business we would want, not when there is so much decent business out there."
Simon suggests introducing a mystery shopper-style test for agents, so they can be assessed for malpractice.
But he admits if you feel you have been the victim of malpractice there is little you can do other than submit a complaint to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
Harj Thind, director of RE/MAX Select in Bexleyhealth, is another supporter of tighter regulations in estate agency.
He welcomed the exposure given to bad practices but was disappointed the RE/MAX brand was, in his view, misrepresented, especially when it is pushing for higher standards.
He said: "The programme was shocking and troubling. Each RE/MAX office is individual. We are a franchise organisation and this didn't come across clearly in the show.
"The agent involved has been terminated for breach of the RE/MAX code of ethics.
"RE/MAX is campaigning for agents to be licensed, otherwise too much is left to chance."
If you are concerned about choosing an agent following the Whistleblower revelations, there are indications of quality to help you feel secure.
Look for agents which are members of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA). They must adhere to a strict code of practice approved by OFT and provide a high ethical standard of conduct to all their customers.
Steven May, jdm Chislehurst branch manager and chairman of the NAEA West Kent branch, points out it was very telling none of the estate agents featured in the show were members of the NAEA.
YOUR MOVE, one of the founder members of the Ombudsman for Estate Agency Scheme is urging the Government to introduce compulsory licensing.
Managing director David Newnes said: "We despair the actions of a few rogue agents is creating such a bad name for the industry."
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