An estate agent with three convictions for fraud has been expelled from voluntary membership of The Property Ombudsman scheme.
In January, Amerjit Singh Dhuga, the owner of wli.uk.com which has sales and lettings offices in the Midlands, was fined £3,120 with £3,417 costs for 26 offences.
These included fraudulent use of the TPO and OFT logos on the website of his agency based at 101 High Street, West Bromwich.
At the time, the Property Ombudsman scheme chairman, Bill McClintock, said TPO would approach the Office of Fair Trading with a view to having Dhuga banned from working as an estate agent and warned that the firm could be expelled from TPO.
The TPO Disciplinary and Standards Committee (DSC) has now informed Dhuga that his membership has been withdrawn because of his fraud convictions. Dhuga will, however, be able to maintain basic membership of TPO.
Sandwell Council’s Trading Standards Department had started investigating wli.uk.com in January, 2010, and Dhuga’s TPO membership application was received in late April 2010. Dhuga pleaded guilty in January 2011 and did not appeal the sentence.
Gerry Fitzjohn, deputy chairman of the TPO operating company and a member of the DSC, said: “Sandwell could not disclose the date when it had first advised wli.uk.com that it was acting illegally in using our logo.
“As a result, the DSC could not expel wli.uk.com on the basis that it had breached an undertaking on its application form with regard to any Trading Standards Office or any other regulatory body taking, or considering whether to take, disciplinary action against the named applicant or any members of his staff.
“The DSC, in making the decision to expel, had to rely upon the fact that the proprietor of this member agent has multiple convictions, including three for fraud and we could not have persons with such convictions within membership.
“We declined to offer the opportunity to make representations to the DSC, or to appeal to the TPO council, because our decision relied upon the fact of the convictions for which he entered a guilty plea.
“We have allowed wli.uk.com to retain CEARA registration for its sales activities until such time as the OFT reaches a decision on whether Dugha should be banned from acting as an estate agent.
“The convictions will not be spent for five years and the expulsion will not be rescinded within that period.
“We are publicising this expulsion as Dugha tries to put a positive spin on any bad press reports and it is important that we make a positive statement that this agency is no longer a member of the voluntary scheme.
“To do otherwise could have unfavourable consequences for the integrity of the scheme and for consumers using Dhuga’s agency, particularly landlords and tenants who will no longer have any source of redress over unresolved complaints involving wli.uk.com.”
On the wli.uk.com website, various logos are displayed, including Rightmove.
The website claims the firm is ‘England’s finest estate agent’ and refers to its ‘highest standards of quality and integrity’ and ‘uncompromising professionalism’.
Comments
Wow! I've had a healthy disregard for some in authority but this bunch seem to be waving two fingers at the Ombudsman in no uncertain terms. Take a look at their home page - www.wli.uk.com. Advise that must equate to self-fertilisation?
Pee Bee - search WLI.UK.COM under members on the TPOS website - and lo..... they are still there without a mention of their naughtiness.
Insane
CJW: Another excerpt fro their woeful website... -
"At WLI.UK.COM used to work hard in developing a better regulatory system for the property market by working in partnership with local Councils & other professional associations. We are no not part of the TPOS as we found it a complete waste of time and money… our way of doing business is different. Fancy something different… try us, otherwise try the dinosaur estate agents on a High Street near you."
So - these people are openly stating they are not members of TPOS. HOW THEN, can they continue to trade as Residential Estate Agents?
All decent Agents must be astounded that this can be allowed to happen.
What makes me laugh is that their website has some girl prattling on about SEO and websites, and yet their site has the worst ranking I can recall seeing. Not even ranked in the UK and lower than 6 million worldwide. Thats 5 million places below us and we only have two offices!!
Visit their website and see their humble message:
"WELCOME TO THE HOME OF ENGLAND’S FINEST ESTATE AGENT
Remember that feeling of falling in love?
Well the TPOS can go f*** itself. Oh yeah… now try that for love. x"
Truly astounding
Oh god,
With my sensible trousers on for this one its dreadful that he can carry on in business.
Ive said before that the regulatory bodies have no teeth and no power, The Ombudsman and the old boys at the NAEA love to willy wave but ultimately neither have much to wave.
So, and still being sensible – we can see why the industry is still disliked by some if fraud doesn’t get you properly on the naughty step.
Jonnie
Just like every scheme to do with agency work no clout no teeth no bloody good.
Hmmm... so this is how it seems to go:
Public complain about Dodgy Agent.
Dodgy Agent is caught.
Dodgy Agent is torn off a strip.
Dodgy Agent is reduced in rank.
Dodgy Agent is allowed to continue to trade - presumably as a ban would be in breach of his basic Human Right to swindle, cheat and otherwise live off ill-gotten gains...
Public complain that Dodgy Agent is still on the loose and ALL Estate Agents get tarred with the same brush!
All Estate Agents in uproar as it clearly pays NOT to be honest.
Dodgy Agent just chuckles to himself...
You couldn't make it up - could you?
"Dhuga will, however, be able to maintain basic membership of TPO." Sorry, am I missing something?
Shameful. Particularly in light of the recent OFT report into and comments about estate agency.
So this chap is found guilt, fined and yet can still belong to the Ombudsman Scheme and therefore sell & let property? He is being kicked out of the voluntary Code that agents in White hats sign up to but unless the OFT ban him he can continue to have both sales and lettings clients? You're having a laugh!
It's hard to see just what else the OFT needs in order to ban someone - an arrowed suit doesn't seem to be enough and in the meantime, who is going to tell the public that the Ombudsman can't actually stop someone found guilty by the courts from selling or letting their property? Caveat emptor? Caveat venditor more like!
Quite right too.....Guilty