Estate agency faces being struck off letting register

A letting agency in Scotland faces being struck off the nation’s letting register after two clients took the firm to a Tribunal over its poor service.

Belvoir Perth, which is a franchised business operating within the Scottish city, could lose its licence after a tribunal judge referred the company to Holyrood following a case that concluded with landlord couple being paid £1,899 in compensation.

The agency also failed to carry out safety checks and routine inspections at the landlords’ property, the Tribunal heard, and it must now also ensure all staff undergo training on the Scottish Letting Agent Code of Practice before the end of February 2024.

An official spokesperson told The Courier that Ministers are now considering whether to remove Belvoir Perth from the register, which requires letting agency staff to have minimum training and qualifications, indemnity insurance and observe client money account regulations.

Malaysia

The tribunal heard that Keith and Kerry Legg had used the firm to rent their home out after moving to Malaysia to teach seven years ago years ago but that communications with the agency had petered out when the latest tenant moved out in July 2022 and, when family members visited the property, it transpired that the house had been left in a mess and its carpets needed replacing.

After an online meeting, the letting agency agreed to compensate the Leggs but the payment did not materialise and they eventually took the agency to a First Tier Tribunal to seek redress.

Appearing at the Tribunal, branch manager and franchisee Aimi Lewis was unable to explain why a check out report had not been issued for the property when the tenant left, why emails were not replied to or why a gas safety inspection was not completed when requested. She said some of the Leggs’ compensation claims were unreasonable.

But the Tribunal found Belvoir Perth had broken the Code of Practice four times and Ministers must now decide whether the people running the branch pass the ‘fit and proper person’ test.

The Perth franchise is run by a company that also operates branches in Dundee, Falkirk, Glasgow North, Paisley and Kirkcaldy.

Belvoir Perth has 30 days to appeal the Tribunal decision.

Statement

A Belvoir HQ spokesperson tells The Neg: “In this case, we acknowledge that there was a breakdown in communication between the Perth office and its landlord client, based abroad, and that normal procedures were subsequently affected.

“There have been significant changes made to both the management and running of Belvoir Perth in recent months and we are confident that the improvements made will restore the highest standards of professional service expected of us.”

Read more about letting agency regulation.

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