In case you are wondering what that strange noise is emanating from our capital city, then we can enlighten you.
Apparently, it’s the sound of estate agents preparing their excuses for when the man from the local council knocks on the door to inquire why quite so many staff have local residents’ car parking permits when they live in other parts of London – or not even in London at all.
Six out of seven staff at Greene & Co have already been up before the courts and fined, and two other agencies are under active investigation.
The practice of using the addresses of properties on agents’ books to apply for residents’ car parking permits is claimed by local councils to be widespread throughout London – and it saves firms a fortune on pay and display.
Furthermore, courts’ hands are tied as to maximum fines that can be imposed. So, while Greene & Co staff were fined around £8,000, their parking ticket scam was thought to have saved the branch £10,000.
If you missed it, we carried this story yesterday on our sister site, Letting Agent Today.
Staff at award-winning agent guilty of parking scam
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Comments
Realist,
The parking permits issue was the outcome, or objective of the fraudulent behaviour. You are missing my point.
To achieve the result the agents had to firstly gain the trust of Landlords/Vendors to have their property listed as stock with that agent.
Once the owner had handed over the keys and their personal contact details to the agent, establishing they were not in residence, the process would begin.
Fraudulent application to council for parking permit nominating a clients address without the knowledge of the client.
Interception of mail at the clients address to collect the permit.
My concern is not over the parking issue, I, like everyone else I ever speak to, feel all councils are OTT with parking enforcement as a means to gain revenue.
My real issue is taking client details and keys, the abusing that trust in the name of 'estate agency'
Are you suggesting this is ok?
I used to find getting on with the concierge always helped.... I'd call a few minutes before I arrived (using handsfree, naturally) and tell them I was on my way. They would then check who was out and either give me a free space to park, or let me use the loading bay, on the understanding that I would be there for only half an hour.
Saved me a blooming fortune, and no need to break any laws.
Its impossible to have more than two staff with cars without paying a fortune. The Councils have forced agents to be inventive - fraud is one step too far. We have a couple of spaces which we rent from tenants without cars. I know of others who have tenants apply for permits which they then use themselves.
The cries for Greene & Co to be banned are silly - its parking for heavens sake. A fine is sufficient.
My problem here is that I am loosely associated to you as the story refers to 'Estate Agents' and the unprofessional wrongdoing of 'Estate Agents'... and I am an Estate Agent.
In reality, the problem here is the company known as Greene & Co and the emplyees of Greene & Co and their directors/owners being fraudsters. Nothing to do with the greater world of 'Estate Agents'.
People working at Greene & Co and the owners of Greene & Co are cannot be trusted as law abiding, how can they be trusted with peoples' property assets?
Should be banned, no questions.
If the authorities wont ban you, please resign out of professional integrity and close the business.
Parking Cowboy,
I agree, the local authorities are totally out of control with their aggressive and draconian methods of increasing revenues into their coffers by extorting money from motorists. That too is a total scandal. I would like public debate on this issue and a movement to stop it.
But:-
Tell me you didn't falsify documentation relating to properties on your books with keys held by you and absent Landlords/Vendors and I my alter my views.
People have trusted you to look after property. They do not expect you to use their property postal details and address to scam the council. Had you asked the owners if it were ok to apply for a permit using their property details I feel sure you would have been told no.
I stand firm in my belief you should all be banned from estate agency. You used a clients property without their knowledge for your own material gain. Totally reprehensible and unacceptable.
Get a job as a traffic warden.
Your fees should reflect running your costs. If you need to factor in parking charges do so. Do not steal from your clients and the council.
Please resign from the industry with a public apology.
Westminster Council are the biggest fraudsters in all of this. They are the one of the only LA who do not provide business permits, if you work within the congestion charge zone it will cost in excess of £25 per day to bring in and park a car. That is fair is it.
Fun Boy, your moral compass looks like it is in overdrive, ban then from Estate Agency, what a laugh, whatever you had for breakfast I suggest you pass it over to the drug squad for investigation.
If the local authority did not take the absolute mickey out of parking, (24 hour charges in Westminster from December), they would not have this problem. All we do by selling and renting homes is to bring new wealth into the area and all Westminster do is try and fleece business owners with rates, parking, we even get fined if we put out our rubbish to be collected(we have to pay for 'commercial waste'). We have an electric car to try and avoid the parking charges, even then we get at least 3 parking tickets a week, we fight each one. Last year we got £10,000 in compensation from Westminster, we are now fighting 9 more, we won at arbitration and are now getting bailiff letters on behalf of Westminster, I feel another compensation claim coming, it seams the parking committee at Westminster feel they are above the law of the land and have no worries as to how much of their residence monies they spend defending the indefeasible.
I'm not surprised.
In Haringey, a business permit costs £240pA and only allows you to park next to your office, not outside someone's house.
They started in 1996 by charging £18 per car per year.
2 cars now cost £230.
That is an increase of 538% in 15 years - very profitable indeeed.
So an estate agent in Haringey doesn't save a huge amount of money by faking it, but they do get the right to park outside their customers' houses.
Now in Surrey, but I worked there from 1992 - 2003.
It is quite simple, if you make stupid rules and laws, people will try to find a loophole.
How infuriating is this story?
The article says:-
"Apparently, it’s the sound of estate agents preparing their excuses for when the man from the local council knocks on the door"
It is not Estate Agents, it is fraudsters who are working in estate agency and abusing their positions of trust.
Having been found guilty they should be banned from our business in any capacity and the firm concerned should be shut down.
The vast majority of estate agents are highly professional and respectable. To improve this reputation in the eyes of the public we need far harsher penalty for wrong doing.