Estate agent slams trading standards CPR
By |Published On: 14th September 2015|

Home » Uncategorised » Estate agent slams trading standards CPR

Estate agent slams trading standards CPR

By |Published On: 14th September 2015|

This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.

A high street estate agent has slammed the newest communication to the industry on Consumer Protection Regulations, branding it as a, ‘complete mess,’ and, ‘nothing short of ridiculous.’

Criticism

Jonathan Newell, director of SalesBoards Estate Agents in Exeter, believes that his company’s situation shows the extent of the issues with the publication. ‘We pride ourselves on being open and honest with our fees, but the new legislation now states that our fees have to be advertised inclusive of VAT,’ he said.[1]

‘Since VAT was introduced in 1973, agents fees have always been quoted exclusive of VAT and that is what the public have become used to. So our usual fee of 1.25% plus VAT now has to be advertised at 1.5% including VAT, which in my mind makes a very competitive fee sound no better than typical,’ he added.[1]

Estate agent slams trading standards CPR

Estate agent slams trading standards CPR

Avoidance

Mr Newell went on to say that SalesBoards, like many other firms, has decided to try and dispel any confusion by removing any reference to fees from its adverts and publications.

He noted that, ‘a quick browse of last week’s local newspaper revealed that only one out of 23 agents included details of their fees in their adverts.’[1]

‘Given that the Consumer Protection Regulations are supposed to make things better rather than worse for the consumer, it seems they may have fallen short of achieving their intended goal,’ Newell concluded.[1]

[1] https://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2015/9/agent-says-trading-standards-cpr-guidance-is-a-complete-mess

 

About the Author: Em Morley (she/they)

Em is the Content Marketing Manager for Just Landlords, with over five years of experience writing for insurance and property websites. Together with the knowledge and expertise of the Just Landlords underwriting team, Em aims to provide those in the property industry with helpful resources. When she’s not at her computer researching and writing property and insurance guides, you’ll find her exploring the British countryside, searching for geocaches.

Share this article:

Related Posts

Categories:

Looking for suitable
insurance for your
investment?
Check out our four
covers for landlords