A real estate agent cannot provide wrong information about a property to a potential buyer. There were changes in the law in 2013 to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. Now real estate agents need to be much more careful about how they go about their business with the changes in place. The following is a list of some of the changes that need to be practiced by real estate agents.
- Have an easy to understand way to file a complaint. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to file a complaint and it should not be a state secret.
- Real estate agents cannot force any party to make any kind of decision quickly. This means that they cannot conduct a survey or use any other tactics just to put pressure on a party.
- A real estate agent cannot purposely leave out information. It is the real estate agent’s job to provide complete information. This includes both positive and negative aspects of the property in question. The real estate agent’s main job is to assist the customer to decide on the property. The customer cannot do that if they are not provided with all of the information.
- All of the information that a real estate agent provides their clients must be completely accurate. This includes anything given in writing, verbally, pictures, attachments, contact information, letterheads, or certifications. The client can take action against the real estate agent if the agent makes any “false claims” in their advertising.
The following is a list of the original rules which all real estate agents must follow.
- A real estate agent needs to provide a client with all the information regarding the prices and all other fees in writing before the customer decides to finalize the deal.
- The real estate agent needs to clarify any technical jargon which is in the documents. The real estate should clarify words like, sole agency, or any other words which might be needed to make the right decision.
- A real estate agent cannot favor one party over the other. There should be no favoritism towards any buyer or seller.
So you want to take legal action but you don’t know where to start. Even if you take your case to a court, the judge could ask if you notified the real estate agency. Follow the real estate agent’s internal procedure to file a complaint. Give the agent a chance to come face to face with the mistake they did.
Complaining to an Ombudsman
You need to complain to a Property Ombudsman before you can take your case to a team of lawyers like the KingsGuard Legal. The Ombudsman provides free services to resolve conflicts between real estate agents and their clients. They make sure that the interests and concerns of the clients are handled properly by the real estate agents. The Ombudsman must hear both sides of the story before making any judgment.
The real estate agency has to be registered with them. The Ombudsman can take matters into their hands to reach a satisfactory solution. If that still doesn’t work you can always contact a team of lawyers to fight your case.