National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team
-
Latest property news
‘We’ll intervene when councils won’t prosecute rogue letting agents’, says NTSEAT boss
James Munro says he wants to reassure agents that NTSEAT wants to end the uneven policing of letting agents that the industry has complained about.
Read More » -
Latest property news
EXCLUSIVE: Trading Standards to halt agents charging pet rent if legal advice goes its way
The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT) has sought legal advice on whether agents can charge higher rents or additional ‘rent premiums’ for tenants who have pets, and a decision is likely next week, The Negotiator has been told. As we have reported before, many agents have been charging up to £50 a month or £600 a year as a ‘rent premium’ to tenants who have dogs or cats. This has been prompted by the tenant fees ban legislation in England and Wales, which capped rental deposits at five week’s rent for most tenancies, and six weeks’ rent for those over £50,000 a year. “This has caused some issues especially with problem properties and tenants where agents have always quite rightly said that they wanted larger deposits because it’s very difficult getting money back from people after they have moved on,” says James Munro, Senior Manager at NTSEAT (left). “So they want to ensure they have a contingency if there are problems during the tenancy. “They are saying five weeks’ deposit isn’t enough now, and understandably they are trying different ways of trying to deal with this. “But we’re not entirely happy with this because we think it’s something…
Read More » -
Latest property news
Estate agent goes on the run after TPO refers him to Trading Standards
Lee Clarke runs Berkshire Estate Agents which owes local landlords and tenants thousands of pounds in deposits and rent.
Read More » -
Trading Standards warns online agents not to make unsubstantiated claims
The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT) has waded into the debate about the ‘fees saved’ advertising claims made by many online-only estate agents. NTSEAT says it wants to remind online agents not to make unsubstantiated and inaccurate claims about their selling fees when compared to traditional high street agents. The warning comes after last week’s ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), in which it upheld a complaint about Purplebricks’ website. This was prompted by a complaint from a West Sussex agent about nine ‘fees saved’ client case studies featured on the Purplebricks website in which, Arun Estates highlighted, did not accurately reflect the different service levels offered by traditional and online agents. “These businesses should ensure that they are making comparisons against like-for-like services,” says James Munro, Head of the NTSEAT (pictured, left). “It is wrong to make general claims about savings when the headline price does not include facilities such as a sales board, floor plans, photographs, accompanied viewings, sales progression or other facilities which are normally included with traditional high street firms. “We recognise that online-only agents have a role in the marketplace for customers who wish to do more of the work themselves but…
Read More »
