Home alone estate agents not trusted
TV documentaries such as BBC’s Whistleblower, have put estate agents in the limelight again. Now a new survey is giving the life-blood of the property market another knock.
The research, from home insurer MORE TH>N, reveals that Britons now place estate agents in the top three least trusted professionals to be left alone in our homes.
With 18% of the votes, estate agents were out-voted only by window-cleaners (31%), and builders and decorators (26%).
Estate agents showing people round their home when they are not present make two thirds of Britons (69%) feel uncomfortable. As a result, over half (51%) go out of their way to ensure they are always present at a viewing; but an unlucky fifth (18%) with busy working lives have no choice but to let the estate agents continue with viewings in their absence, even though they would prefer to be there.
Such problems don’t just affect those buying and selling, the MORE TH>N research reveals, but also renters. Over one in ten people (11%) have experienced a dispute over payment of fees or commission with an estate agent.
The research comes in the aftermath of the recent BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary Whistleblower, which shocked the property industry to the core by revealing dubious sales practices such as under and over-valuing, false offers and developer back-handers by some of the UK’s leading estate agents.
Craig Allen, home insurance manager at MORE TH>N, commented: "Moving home is stressful enough without having to consider whether the person who is supposed to be assisting you is trustworthy."
"While we hope that for most people, the experience of dealing with estate agents is a smooth one, there are those for whom problems do arise."
Helen Adams of advice website FirstRungNow.com said, "Since the recent BBC1 programme about estate agents I’ve been inundated with queries from people concerned about estate agents and whether they are trustworthy, especially in London. My advice would be to seek recommendations from people in the same area who have recently sold a house as quality tends to vary between local offices and stories of bad practice soon get around."
TV documentaries such as BBC’s Whistleblower, have put estate agents in the limelight again. Now a new survey is giving the life-blood of the property market another knock.
The research, from home insurer MORE TH>N, reveals that Britons now place estate agents in the top three least trusted professionals to be left alone in our homes.
With 18% of the votes, estate agents were out-voted only by window-cleaners (31%), and builders and decorators (26%).
Estate agents showing people round their home when they are not present make two thirds of Britons (69%) feel uncomfortable. As a result, over half (51%) go out of their way to ensure they are always present at a viewing; but an unlucky fifth (18%) with busy working lives have no choice but to let the estate agents continue with viewings in their absence, even though they would prefer to be there.
Such problems don’t just affect those buying and selling, the MORE TH>N research reveals, but also renters. Over one in ten people (11%) have experienced a dispute over payment of fees or commission with an estate agent.
The research comes in the aftermath of the recent BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary Whistleblower, which shocked the property industry to the core by revealing dubious sales practices such as under and over-valuing, false offers and developer back-handers by some of the UK’s leading estate agents.
Craig Allen, home insurance manager at MORE TH>N, commented: "Moving home is stressful enough without having to consider whether the person who is supposed to be assisting you is trustworthy."
"While we hope that for most people, the experience of dealing with estate agents is a smooth one, there are those for whom problems do arise."
Helen Adams of advice website FirstRungNow.com said, "Since the recent BBC1 programme about estate agents I’ve been inundated with queries from people concerned about estate agents and whether they are trustworthy, especially in London. My advice would be to seek recommendations from people in the same area who have recently sold a house as quality tends to vary between local offices and stories of bad practice soon get around."
posted by tony at 5:12 PM
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