GetAgent has been ordered to make its marketing claims clearer following a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The advertising watchdog...
Archive
06 December 2023
From: Breaking News
![Banned! Watchdog censures Government over levelling up adverts](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/_Banned-400x310.png)
Seven adverts pushing the Government’s flagship levelling up policy have been banned. The advertising watchdog censured the Department for Levelling Up, Housing...
12 October 2022
From: Breaking News
![Can ewe believe it! Agent unveils latest advert following billboard ban](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/Property-MagnifyingGlass--1-400x310.jpg)
If you are an easily offended Frankie Valli fan, look away now. A regional agent that was rapped by the Advertising Standards...
03 May 2022
From: Breaking News
![Not sheepish! Agent hits back after watchdog bans 'offensive' advert](/upload/images/library/DigitalAdvertisingImage-1-400x310.jpg)
An estate agent has hit back at the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after the watchdog banned a poster advertising the firm’s...
27 April 2022
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks removes social media claim about local home sales](/upload/images/Logos/Purplebricks-2019Logo-400x310.jpg)
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint regarding claims made by Purplebricks about home sales. The advertising watchdog revealed...
27 April 2022
From: Breaking News
![Advertising watchdog open to considering SSTC listing complaints](/upload/images/library/complaints-400x310.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has said it may consider complaints about ‘misleading SSTC listings’ on portals but suggests it may...
06 April 2022
From: Breaking News
![Banned! Touting letter trying to buy homes without using agents](/upload/images/library/BuytoLet3-400x310.jpg)
The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a property investment firm from using a letter claiming that it wanted to buy homes...
30 March 2022
From: Breaking News
![Watchdog intervenes after complaint about Countrywide property](/upload/images/Logos/ASANewLogo-400x310.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority has stepped in following a complaint about a property advertised by Connells-owned Countrywide estate agents. The issue revolves...
06 October 2021
From: Breaking News
![Trading Standards “sought to discredit me” claims former estate agent](/upload/images/library/NationalTradingStandards-400x310.png)
A former estate agent has accused the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agent Team of trying to discredit him. Chris Wood,...
04 August 2021
From: Breaking News
![Fake estate agency reviews: Watchdog probes Google and Amazon](/img/default/eat.png)
The Competititon and Markets Authority says it’s to look into reviews on Google and Amazon, and see whether the online giants...
28 June 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agency drops claim that it's number one in its area after complaint](/img/default/eat.png)
A firm has agreed to amend its claim that it was the number one selling agent in its town in 2020,...
26 May 2021
From: Breaking News
![The reality of RoPA – an alternative view on estate agency regulation](/img/default/eat.png)
We have more regulations controlling the sector than ever before and we have more ‘regulators’ involved in controlling the sector than...
01 May 2021
From: Features
![Purplebricks removes misleading claim after complaint](/img/default/eat.png)
Purplebricks has removed advertising claims which suggested it sold homes for a higher sum, on average, than rival agencies. The Advertising Standards...
24 March 2021
From: Breaking News
![Top online agency challenged over claim about fees and sales](/img/default/eat.png)
Online agency Yopa says it will change a claim on its website that appears to suggest no fee will be charged...
17 March 2021
From: Breaking News
![Watchdog intervenes after complaint over property listing](/img/default/eat.png)
An agency has changed a property listing on its website following an intervention by the Advertising Standards Authority. The agency was Campbell...
03 March 2021
From: Breaking News
![Banned! Online agencies must not advertise house for sale](/img/default/eat.png)
Two mysterious online agencies have had their advertisements for the same property banned by the Advertising Standards Authority. The agencies - Manchestersalerent and...
20 January 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agency changes Rightmove entry after watchdog intervenes](/img/default/eat.png)
Estate agency Move has had to change a description on Rightmove following an intervention by the Advertising Standards Authority. The agency described...
16 December 2020
From: Breaking News
![Stamp duty clampdown revealed by HMRC and advertising watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
HM Revenue and Customs and the Advertising Standards Authority are working together to cut out misleading marketing by promoters of stamp...
30 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![Rightmove cleared - watchdog throws out complaint about TV advert](/img/default/eat.png)
A TV advert for Rightmove first screened in 2018 has been cleared of gender stereotyping. A complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority...
18 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents must be crystal clear on fees, watchdog tells industry](/img/default/eat.png)
The advertising watchdog has told the agency industry to clean up its act on four issues, with clarity over fees being...
16 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![Raffle produces winner of £500,000 London apartment plus car](/img/default/eat.png)
House raffles and similar competitions have become mired in controversy in recent years, thanks to some of them failing to abide by...
06 August 2020
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks: another complaint prompts watchdog to intervene](/img/default/eat.png)
Purplebricks has changed the wording of an advertisement on its website after a watchdog stepped in following a complaint. According to the...
22 July 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agency promotion website changes claim after regulator intervenes](/img/default/eat.png)
NetAnAgent, a website which offers consumers instant quotes from a selection of traditional and online agents, has changed some of its...
20 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Conveyancing search provider amends ad after watchdog intervenes](/img/default/eat.png)
Conveyancing search provider Searchflow has amended its website after an intervention by the Advertising Standards Authority. A claim on the site stated:...
29 April 2020
From: Breaking News
![Trading Standards to probe house raffle problems](/img/default/eat.png)
Future complaints about property raffles by individual home owners seeking to avoid estate agency fees will in future be handled by...
28 February 2020
From: Breaking News
![Online agency’s ‘We Sell For Free’ claim backed by watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
An online agency’s claim that it sells homes “for free” has been disputed by a High Street rival - but the...
05 February 2020
From: Breaking News
![Emoov online review row deepens as CMA probes wider problem](/img/default/eat.png)
There have been two developments on the controversial subject of online reviews. One concerns the online agency Emoov, which three months ago...
09 January 2020
From: Breaking News
![Emoov unmoved: row with Advertising Standards Authority rumbles on](/img/default/eat.png)
The dispute between controversial online estate agency Emoov and the Advertising Standards Authority is rumbling on. In the first half of November...
03 December 2019
From: Breaking News
![Exclusive: online agency at centre of new complaints over reviews](/img/default/eat.png)
An online estate agency which last week claimed it had resolved a dispute over reviews it showed on its website is...
20 November 2019
From: Breaking News
![Online agency removes Trustpilot and Google reviews after complaint](/img/default/eat.png)
Fledgling online estate agency Emoov - now owned by PropTech firm Mashroom - has removed reviews and endorsements from its website...
13 November 2019
From: Breaking News
![Rightmove in the clear over amazing claim made in advertisement](/img/default/eat.png)
Rightmove has been given the green light to continue using the claim that “every second someone contacts an estate agent about a...
13 November 2019
From: Breaking News
![House Raffle Snaffled: advertising was misleading, says watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority has clamped down on misleading claims made by the organisers of a property raffle. The controversy surrounds an...
30 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![Online agents face new guidelines as advertising complaints rocket](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority has issued a guidance note warning online estate agents, after complaints about them have “grown dramatically”. “Property is big...
01 August 2019
From: Breaking News
![Update Rightmove listings more promptly, watchdog tells corporate](/img/default/eat.png)
Connells Group-owned Sequence UK has been told by the Advertising Standards Authority to update Rightmove listings more promptly after properties are...
17 July 2019
From: Breaking News
![Agency removes claim about Zoopla after complaint to watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
An estate agency has removed a claim that it uploads its properties to Zoopla and PrimeLocation after a complaint to the...
10 July 2019
From: Breaking News
![Past its sell by date? Three-year-old property listing banned by ASA](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint made against a listing on property website Houser.co.uk. In January, the complainant notified...
03 July 2019
From: Breaking News
![Yet another house raffle competition bites the dust](/img/default/eat.png)
Another house price raffle has closed amid rancour, and with cash prizes being awarded instead of the property originally promoted. The latest...
02 July 2019
From: Breaking News
![Watchdog upholds complaints and finds new problem with house raffle](/img/default/eat.png)
A company which promotes property raffles have been told that it cannot repeat certain elements of its advertisements on Facebook and...
26 June 2019
From: Breaking News
![Agency amends Help To Buy press ad after complaint to watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
South west regional agency Luscombe Maye has amended an advertisement for a new housing development following a complaint to a watchdog. A...
12 June 2019
From: Breaking News
![Agency amends sale details after complaint sent to advertising watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
North East England regional agency chain Bradley Hall has amended details for a property listed on its website following a complaint...
15 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![The man who polices the agency industry - an exclusive interview](/img/default/eat.png)
It’s clear that some agents are not fans of Trading Standards officers, described in the comments sections of the trade press...
27 April 2019
From: Features
![Trading Standards speak out: We do NOT favour online estate agencies](/img/default/eat.png)
The head of the new Trading Standards authority regulating estate agents says Online firms are treated exactly the same as High...
26 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![Banned: Agency ad’s “misleading” reference to non-existent branch](/img/default/eat.png)
An estate agency has been ordered by the Advertising Standards Authority not to use an advertisement on its website and Facebook...
17 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![Raffle Rumpus: another property competition in hot water with watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
Another property raffle - this time with what appeared to be a castle as its main prize - has hit trouble...
17 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![Owner complains about home listed on Zoopla when it wasn’t for sale](/img/default/eat.png)
The owner of a home for sale has complained to the Advertising Standards Authority after seeing it marketed on Zoopla -...
10 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![Agent shuts business and rips into 'lying sellers and lazy solicitors'](/img/default/eat.png)
Maverick Cornish estate agent Chris Wood has quit the industry with a stinging attack on those who have “taken their toll”...
11 March 2019
From: Breaking News
![Ailing online agency House Network hit by complaint to watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
The troubled online agency House Network has amended its website after a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority about its claims...
06 March 2019
From: Breaking News
![Banned: home 'ownership' advertisement is branded misleading](/img/default/eat.png)
A poster advertising shared ownership, promoting homes from a housing association, has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority. The poster, for...
20 February 2019
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks' biggest critic ditches High Street and takes his estate agency online](/img/default/eat.png)
Purplebricks might have the last laugh - its biggest critic is ditching his High Street office and making his own agency online. Controversial...
04 February 2019
From: Breaking News
![Maverick agent threatens ‘yellow vest’ civil protest over Brexit](/img/default/eat.png)
A maverick estate agent pictured wearing a yellow vest has threatened to mount what he calls a “civil protest” if Brexit...
16 January 2019
From: Breaking News
![‘No 1 on Rightmove’ claim triggers complaint to advertising watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
A Scottish estate agency has changed its website following a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority. The complaint relates to West Property...
16 January 2019
From: Breaking News
![Banned! Advert for 'park home' lodges deemed misleading](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an advertisement calling properties for sale ‘park homes’ when the buildings themselves could not be...
05 December 2018
From: Breaking News
![Agent changes Rightmove listing after complaint to ad watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
An estate agency has had to alter a listing on Rightmove following a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority. Gravesend-based Waterman House...
21 November 2018
From: Breaking News
![Emoov advert triggers another complaint to watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
The troubled Emoov hybrid estate agency, currently up for sale, has removed an advertisement after a complaint to a watchdog over...
07 November 2018
From: Breaking News
![Twitter Storm: complaints about house competition](/img/default/eat.png)
A Twitter account dedicated to the private sale of a multi-million pound waterside home in Berkshire has prompted complaints to the...
24 October 2018
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks share price slumps to 18-month low - but why?](/img/default/eat.png)
Purplebricks’ share price dropped yesterday to barely over 200p - its lowest level for some 18 months and reflecting a near...
10 October 2018
From: Breaking News
![Banned advert highlights dangers of sales claims about rental yields](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an advertisement for a new development in London after complaints over claims about the yields...
10 October 2018
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks slapped on wrist (again) after complaint over radio ads](/img/default/eat.png)
Purplebricks has been the subject of another complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority - and the issue has again been categorised...
03 October 2018
From: Breaking News
![Emoov changes ‘save thousands’ wording after watchdog steps in](/img/default/eat.png)
Emoov has agreed to change the wording of a Google search advertisement after a complaint was made to the Advertising Standards...
26 September 2018
From: Breaking News
![Competition offering house as a prize is blasted as 'misleading'](/img/default/eat.png)
The perils of property competitions and raffles have once again been demonstrated, this time with the Advertising Standards Authority upholding three...
26 September 2018
From: Breaking News
![Estate agency banned from taking credit for historic testimonial](/img/default/eat.png)
A website claim by the London estate agency Moveli has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority after a complaint from...
12 September 2018
From: Breaking News
![OnTheMarket TV campaign promotes controversial 'New & Exclusive' feature](/img/default/eat.png)
OnTheMarket today launches a new TV advertising campaign which aims to highlight its 'New & Exclusive' marketing feature. Agents listing with the...
10 September 2018
From: Breaking News
![OnTheMarket TV ad banned by watchdog over new and exclusive claims](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld one of two complaints made against OnTheMarket's TV and print advertising. The complaints refer to...
05 September 2018
From: Breaking News
![National agency agrees to amend website after ASA complaint](/img/default/eat.png)
An estate agency which operates nationally has agreed to amend its website following a complaint made to the Advertising Standards Authority...
05 September 2018
From: Breaking News
![CPRs; the opportunity](/img/default/eat.png)
In our previous 2 blogs we have covered the definitions of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs) and what the practical...
29 August 2018
From: Sponsored Content
![Another online agency’s savings claim under scrutiny](/img/default/eat.png)
An online estate agency run by one of the country’s youngest entrepreneurs has agreed to change a reference about savings on...
29 August 2018
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks told not to say it advertises on all major portals](/img/default/eat.png)
Purplebricks has been the subject of another complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority, this time over a claim on its website...
22 August 2018
From: Breaking News
![CPRs; the practicalities](/img/default/eat.png)
In our previous blog, we looked at the definitions outlined by the CPRs. In our next blog we’ll look at the...
21 August 2018
From: Sponsored Content
![New blow to house raffles - refunds after unforeseen circumstances](/img/default/eat.png)
The brief but troubled history of individuals and companies attempting to raffle homes as prizes has received another blow as a...
21 August 2018
From: Breaking News
![Agent defying advertising watchdog demands details of his 'penalties'](/img/default/eat.png)
The estate agent who is refusing to abide by a decision of the Advertising Standards Authority is now demanding details of...
16 August 2018
From: Breaking News
![Property raffle is subject of complaint to advertising watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
One of the spate of property raffle competitions has been the subject of a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority. The complaint...
08 August 2018
From: Breaking News
![Online agent of choice changes listing after complaint](/img/default/eat.png)
An online estate agency has changed the wording of a listing on Rightmove, Zoopla and on its own website after a...
26 July 2018
From: Breaking News
!['Local property experts' - controversial advice issued by ad watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority has today issued a three-point guidance note for estate agents, including controversial interpretations of what constitutes a...
18 July 2018
From: Breaking News
![New twist in row over agent refusing to delete claims about Purplebricks](/img/default/eat.png)
There’s a new twist in the row between a Cornish agent and the Advertising Standards Authority. The row revolves around a tweet...
16 July 2018
From: Breaking News
![Rebel agent turns fire on ZPG as advertising watchdog ponders sanctions](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority says its compliance team is considering its next steps following the refusal of estate agency PDQ Estates...
12 July 2018
From: Breaking News
![Banned! Maverick agent must not repeat claims about Purplebricks](/img/default/eat.png)
An agent from Cornwall who has waged a long-running campaign against online agencies in general and Purplebricks in particular has been...
11 July 2018
From: Breaking News
![July - it might just be the industry’s busiest month of the year](/img/default/eat.png)
So here’s the thing. It’s summer - not much going on, school holidays about to start, industry publications filling out space...
30 June 2018
From: Features
![Purplebricks pledges to appeal latest ban on advertisement](/img/default/eat.png)
Another Purplebricks ad has been stamped down on by the Advertising Standards Authority following a complaint by Hunters Property Group - but...
27 June 2018
From: Breaking News
![Sequence auction house amends advert after watchdog intervenes](/img/default/eat.png)
One of the country’s largest auction houses has had to amend an advertisement on its website after an intervention by the...
20 June 2018
From: Breaking News
![Watchdog intervenes over agency’s portal advertising claim](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority has intervened after receiving a complaint about a website and online advertisement for the Howard Cundey agency. The...
13 June 2018
From: Breaking News
![Estate agency adverts rank high in 'most complained about' league table](/img/default/eat.png)
The annual report from the Advertising Standards Authority and the Committees of Advertising Practice, out today, shows that the estate and...
04 May 2018
From: Breaking News
![Tepilo and Homewise revise online adverts after watchdog intervenes](/img/default/eat.png)
Online estate agency Tepilo and over-60s ‘life plan’ property sales service Homewise have been rapped over the knuckles following complaints made...
18 April 2018
From: Breaking News
![HMRC wins ruling over scheme claiming to cut stamp duty on homes](/img/default/eat.png)
HM Revenue and Customs has won a key ruling concerning a tax avoidance scheme promoter which claimed to be able to...
23 March 2018
From: Breaking News
![Complaints about two agencies lead to advertising watchdog stepping in](/img/default/eat.png)
An estate agency has been the subject of a complaint over website wording which appeared to suggest that it had a...
21 March 2018
From: Breaking News
![Emoov has to amend fee info on website after ad watchdog intervenes](/img/default/eat.png)
Online agency Emoov has amended its website following the intervention of the Advertising Standards Authority. The authority says the agency’s site included...
14 March 2018
From: Breaking News
![Agency told by ad watchdog that more complaints may trigger formal probe](/img/default/eat.png)
London agency Portico has been warned that if there is a repeat of issues concerning its listings on portals, it may...
28 February 2018
From: Breaking News
![Advertising watchdog rules on another complaint about Purplebricks](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled on another complaint lodged about Purplebricks. Although the latest appears minor it adds to a lengthy list...
14 February 2018
From: Breaking News
![allAgents and agency group CIELA reignite disputes with Purplebricks](/img/default/eat.png)
The Charter for Independent Estate and Letting Agents says Purplebricks is still not complying with a ruling made by the Advertising...
06 February 2018
From: Breaking News
![Pressure mounts on Purplebricks to release actual sales figures](/img/default/eat.png)
Pressure continues to mount on Purplebricks to reveal its sales data after a weekend during which claims about its effectiveness continued...
05 February 2018
From: Breaking News
![Savills amends auction website after complaint to watchdog over prices](/img/default/eat.png)
Savills has amended its website concerning auctions after a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority. The complainant challenged whether the listed guide...
31 January 2018
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks launches new TV and social media advertisements](/img/default/eat.png)
Purplebricks once again used the Christmas period to launch new TV and social media advertisements. In one, the hybrid agency debuted Mr...
28 December 2017
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks is subject of yet another complaint to ad watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
Controversial hybrid agency Purplebricks has been the subject of yet another complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority. An unnamed complainant filed a...
20 December 2017
From: Breaking News
![Agency withdraws claim about speed of exchanging contracts](/img/default/eat.png)
Independent Surrey-based estate agency Curchods has voluntarily withdrawn marketing material containing claims about its speed of exchanging properties, after the intervention...
13 December 2017
From: Breaking News
![Advertising watchdog slaps down House Raffle competition wording](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority has told the organisers of a house raffle that they must not repeat a promotion because of...
13 December 2017
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks: is it about to increase its share of the online market?](/img/default/eat.png)
Financial analysts over the weekend have been giving their view on Purplebricks, which later this week issues its figures for the...
11 December 2017
From: Breaking News
![Watchdog defends 'informal resolution' of complaints over online agencies](/img/default/eat.png)
Outspoken estate agent Chris Wood has criticised the Advertising Standards Authority for its succession of ‘informally resolved’ judgements on complaints against...
07 December 2017
From: Breaking News
![Online agency Yopa is subject of another complaint to watchdog](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority has intervened following a complaint about a mailshot from the high profile online agency Yopa. The ASA says...
06 December 2017
From: Breaking News
![Online agency drops Open House claim after complaint over website](/img/default/eat.png)
Online agency Elopa has dropped a claim on its website that its Open House method of selling properties achieved the best...
29 November 2017
From: Breaking News
![Online firm Yopa removes agency comparison ad after complaints](/img/default/eat.png)
The online agency Yopa has removed an ad comparing its performance against other estate agents after complaints to the Advertising Standards...