Data released by The Property Ombudsman shows that while there may have been a record number of enquiries about letting agents, there was an increase in satisfaction with estate agents from buyers and sellers.
As part of the Trading Standards Institute's Consumer Code Approval Scheme, TPO carries out regular agent monitoring' exercises, which include mystery shopping as well as consumer surveys conducted by independent research firms.
In 2013, 733 mystery shopping telephone calls were conducted with TPO sales and lettings agents; the results for sales agents show customers were happier than a year earlier.
Asked to give a score to their level of satisfaction with the estate agent they were dealing with, in 2013 buyers gave a strikingly high satisfaction score of 9.36 out of 10 (a year earlier the score was 9.00 out of 10). Sellers gave an even higher score of 9.52 last year compared with 9.30 a year earlier.
If you think that is good, there is better to come.
Asked if they would recommend their agent to friends, in 2013 98.2 per cent of sellers and 97.2 per cent of buyers said yes; a year earlier the figures were 96.00 and 93.00 respectively.
Scores were less good when it came to agents' performance over what TPO calls code compliance'.
In this section buyers were asked whether the agent (1) made them aware of their membership of the Ombudsman scheme; (2) gave accurate information about properties; (3) explained if the property was kept on the market after an offer was accepted or if it was later put back on the market; or (4) accepted their offer without attaching any conditions.
The combined result of buyers suggested only 86.7 per cent felt the agent performed satisfactorily on this.
In the same section sellers were asked whether the agent (1) made them aware of their membership of TPO; (2) clearly explained fees, expenses and business terms and confirmed this in writing before marketing the property; (3) made clear whether or not they wished to offer other services such as mortgages to potential buyers; (4) asked for confirmation of the accuracy of the draft particulars before marketing; (5) agreed viewing arrangements and complied with them; (6) confirmed all offers in writing; and (7) asked the seller whether the property should remain on the market after the offer was accepted
The combined result of sellers suggested only 91.6 per cent felt the agent performed satisfactorily.
However, these Code Compliance scores in 2013 were nonetheless slightly improved on the 2012 results.
Comments
Strange as I rang up property ombuds and reported a dodgy internet agent for saing they had an office th eother day and they said they couldnt do anything about it...
Actually really difficult to shop the bad agents even when you know they are in the wrong.
I would have thought from how much the ombuds makes from taxing us to be memebers they would open a department that maybe advised these 'misguided' agents to stick to the rules.
Bet the daily mail dont print that!!!
Maybe all this time it has been lettings/ moany tenants thinking they live in a hotel not a home that have confused the media about our industry.
In any other industry and indeed the world over, anybody achieving 90% plus would be a distinction in grade and all around them would be proud, can everybody now leave us to get on with our jobs and stop beating us with our own stick and well done to all those unknowns that passed the test.