Comments on: Ombudsman for estate agents

By: Neil Murray

Neil Murray — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:02:05 +0000

My wife’s parents suggested we both sell our houses and buy a bigger property between us all. This was a great idea as we need an extra bedroom but the jump from 3 to 4 bedroom in prices was too high. (already had a loft conversion). We both used the same Agent, Allen & Harris. We were both told by the branch manager that if we sued their solicitors we would not have to pay for a HIP. We were also told that if we paid £165 fee then after 6 months if no sale was made then we could withdraw and have no fees to pay. We sold and the in laws did not. We have now moved in with them and plan a major building project on the house. Allen and Harris now ant my in laws to pay £500 to withdraw from the contract despite the fact that in 10 months they have not had a single viewing or request for details. I work for a law firm so will be looking to instruct a solicitor for miss selling and misleading

By: amanda moore

amanda moore — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:29:22 +0000

we viewed a property with country wide after accepting an offer on our property (our vendor also having sold through country wide).loved the propertyso much that we put the full asking price as an offer with the estate agent whilst still at the property – offer accepted- only next day were told they had shown the property to someone else who had offered the full asking price too after us ! then was asked for last and final bid …. reluctantly we offered another £5,100 which was very happily accepted . all addresses etc passed to solictors ect same day -we are cash buyers-but same day 5 hours later estate agent called to say other offer had been increased by another £10,000 taking property over asking price by £15,000!!! and please have yet another last and final bid into estate agent by 10 am the next day!! We think morally this is wrong and have pulled out totally and am contemplating not selling to our vendor as through country wide too . am i correct in taking this further with ombudsman . We thought last and final bids was only allowed once??????

By: Denise Boughey

Denise Boughey — Sun, 09 May 2010 10:47:15 +0000

I was with Williams and co. estate agents in Redcar with would you believe it 3 years. I was promised that if I paid the higher price then my property would be in the property guide every week until it sold. I was in about 3 or 4 times in the first year. Half way through my second year I went under offer (not written)only when I gave in 2 weeks written notice as required to go with another estate in my local area. These were a couple who has viewed 5 months earlier without any feedback at all. They paid for a surveyor who didn’t bother to look around the house at all and only had a 5 minute conversation about football and left. Inevitably this fell through because I wasn’t given enough time to find another home for my family. The second time I went under offer was a couple of weeks ago I went under offer on the Monday and by Friday of the same week the surveyors were on the phone booking themselves in for the following Monday. I delayed this for a week so that i could have at least2 weeks to look for somewhere else. Unfortunately my estate agent Jill wound up my buyer enough to send her knocking on my door telling me she would only give me until that weekend to find somewhere (less than 2 weeks) or she would go with another house with the same agent as myself. So my estate agent could’nt lose only I lost my sale. I’m on the market to try and solve my financial problems by downsizing and I get the feeling they already know this so if they put off enough people buying my property hopefully I will be repossessed and they can seize my property for one of their friends allegedly at a greatly reduced market value price. The mental stress and anguish has been second to none and they continue to get away with it. Hopefully estate agents will die out and we will all use the internet.

By: Ann Phillips

Ann Phillips — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:59:51 +0000

although my agents have found me a buyer I have not been able to find a property I want I originally found a new build but was told not to put an offer on until my buyer was definate now I have lost the new build. According to my contract if I withdraw from the sale I am liable for 10% of the selling price is this correct

By: dee

dee — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:56:19 +0000

Thanks Danny for your comment, i am having trouble with Enfields and a customer of theirs whom refuses point blank to exchange let ALONE COMPLETE! There is another person in the same situation before me who is my purchaser.
Enfields have done nothing but lie this has been going on since November i am now beside myself with frustration my life has been turned upset down,i was promised a definate move date as Jan 8 2010 as you can see that has gone it went then to 13th for exchange haha !!
Yes it is a joke then tonight i get a call full of apologies from my Agent whom has been slogging away trying desperately to sort this with can we make it 12 Feb to exchange well i hit the roof.
As i handed in my notice at work, so now i am unemployed as well !!!
Just who do you go to ? When Estate Agents

By: Danny Braye

Danny Braye — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:34:44 +0000

Guy – thank you very much for sharing that comment. It is shocking but not surprising. Let it be a warning to everyone else. DB

By: Guy

Guy — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:35:59 +0000

The OEA are in the pocket of estate agents. They are funded by them and hence they are loathed to bite the hand that feeds them by finding against any of their member estate agents.

This view is based on my personal experience where the OEA found that the letting agent who marketed our family home and referenced the eventual tenants met their code of conduct despite :

1, They did not identify the correct identity of the tenant
2, They did not get any previous address history
3, He validated his income via an email (from himself) to their credit reference agent
4, They did not take any character references
5, They had no utility bills, passport copies, drivers licence copies, Pay slips or even a Videocard !

It transpired very quickly that the man was a convicted fraudster with no job, income or morals. He trashed my family home, did not pay the rent for months and carried out several frauds from my address. we are still getting bailiffs calling and our house is blighted for any credit.

This was 2 years ago and despite an OEA ‘investigation’ and an appeal Mr Hamer of the OEA concludes that the estate agent met their code of conduct !

This is a scandal. Does anybody else have any similar accounts as I would like to present cases to my MP so we can get something done about the OEA sham.

Thanks Guy.

By: Jan Harris

Jan Harris — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:26:21 +0000

I decided to sell my house and a family in rented accomodation nearby made me an offer which I refused, because I felt that I could possibly get more by marketing it with an estate agent. So I put my house up for sale with a local agent, but when signing the contract I told them of the offer which was duly noted on the contract. Now the estate agent is in contact with this family and trying to get me to accept their offer, and are not sending anyone to view the house stating that this family want to buy it. My contract with the agent expires in 7 weeks . If I were to decide to sell to this family after this time where would I stand legally in regard to estate agents fees?

By: Janine Anderson

Janine Anderson — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:23:50 +0000

I rented a property with Beresford Adams in North Wales for 6 months. I left after the end of this period which was the 1st of September.To this day; the 5th of October, I am still waiting for my deposit refund. I am not happy ang suggest to anybody reading this DO NOT use them as a letting agent as they do put your deposit into any type of scheme that thery should by law; they keep it in their own accounts department.

By: pam gowlett

pam gowlett — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:33:42 +0000

we signed up end of june with connells who promised us the earth , weve had 2 viewings
no feedbach – had to take our own photos and rewrite their blurb( it was so poor) and for all that- whether or not we sell weve got to pay them.! they must be the worst estate agents in England- they should be exposed for what they are- useless!