The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld 45% more complaints against estate agents so far this year than it did during the whole of 2016, it has been revealed.

Thirteen complaints have so far been upheld during 2017 compared to nine during the whole of the previous year, while 52 complaints have been ‘informally resolved’ rather than going to full adjudications.

The Daily Telegraph says this is due in part to the ‘surge’ in complaints against online estate agents to the ASA including Purplebricks, Hatched, HouseSimple, EasyProperty and YOPA, some of which were upheld and others not.

One complaint about Purplebricks still going through the adjudication process is the one made by SW estate agent and former NAEA Propertymark Vice President Chris Wood about online agent representatives who described themselves as ‘experts’.

Chris, who has been leading a one-man campaign to call out Purplebricks over the past year, says a decision is expected “very soon” from the ASA on his complaint.

In December last year Chris also complained to National Trading Standards’ Estate Agency team about Purplebricks’ LPEs not being individually registered individually with the industry’s three redress schemes.

“A decision from NTSEAT would be better because they have more regulatory teeth, unlike the ASA which only has the power to reprimand advertisers and not compel them to do anything.”

Chris also told The Negotiator that he is increasingly frustrated by the key professional organisations including RICS and NAEA Propertymark are “standing by” and letting online companies claim that their staff are “local experts” even though many of them have not received the same level of training as members of the professional bodies.

“I don’t understand it – often a doorman at a nightclub or a burger van operator has to go through more training than many online estate agents who, after only a few days basic training, are free to call themselves ‘experts’, “ he says.

“We’ve highlighted one guy working for a leading online agent who was a beauty parlour owner prior to becoming a ‘local expert’ and had only received two weeks’ training before starting work.

“Time after time the government has said it favours ‘soft touch’ regulation of the property industry, even though estate agents sell what is often people’s largest financial asset, while other industries are far more stringently regulated.”