Naughty Estate/Letting Agents That You Shouldn’t Use

24 Jul 2009

A high volume of Estate/Letting agents are more full of shit than a newly born’s nappy. We all know it, the agents themselves know it, and even their shameful parents know it. So how do we know which agents we can trust? Well, how long is a piece of string?

In an attempt to combat the problem, The Office of Fair Trading has published a list of estate agents who are currently banned from engaging in estate agency work or who have received a formal warning under the Estate Agents Act 1979.

The Estate Agents Public Register

The list contains the names of individuals and companies that you’re advised not to work with. Surprisingly, the list isn’t as long as I expected it to be, which I feel is unfortinate and inaccurate. I expected it to be longer than my… Of course, the list only accounts for the agents that have merely been caught. But, there is a list and it’s a good start. I’d be interested to see how often the list gets updated.

Anyways, it’s always best to cross reference the list before you start working with an agent.

Knowing which agents to work with

Obviously, even if the agent you plan on working with isn’t on the list, it doesn’t mean they’ll give you a boot-polished service. Here are a few extra tips:

• Use Agents that are Registered With An Approved Redress Scheme. You’ll have consumer protection then
• Use agents that have been recommended by friends and family
• Check out the T&C’s of the contract carefully- some agents will charge you even if they don’t get you a sale
• Read this article: Guide On Picking The Right Letting Agent

Anyone else got any other tips? Please share!

P.s. before the hate mail floods in from the bitter mob, I’d like to clarify that I don’t think all agents are bad/corrupt xxx

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