Agent pulls ad after standards complaint

A Scottish agent has withdrawn an advert after claims that it breached advertising regulations.

Rosie Fraser Real Estate, based in Dundee, which opened for business six months ago, issued a marketing letter and paid-for online ad offering access to the Tayside Solicitors Property Centre.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received a complaint about the letter and ad as the TSPC website is only open to solicitors.

The marketing letter said: “We have access to all of the online portals Rightmove, TSPC (Tayside Solicitors Property Centre) and Zoopla”.

Whilst the paid-for online ad stated: “Access all online portals including TSPC”.

Case closed

The complainant challenged whether the claims were likely to mislead sellers regarding how their property would be marketed, as access to the TSPC portal is available only to solicitor firms, and not an estate agent.

An ASA spokesman says: “We approached the advertiser about the concerns that had been raised, and they confirmed that the ads were no longer being used.

“On the basis that the claims would not be repeated, we agreed to close the case informally.”

Rosie Fraser, director at Rosie Fraser Real Estate, told The Neg: “We have changed our ads so that we don’t offer access to TSPC, although it wasn’t something our customers wanted anyway.

“We had offered access to the TSPC website through a third party solicitor.”