NFoPP has called once again for estate agents and letting agents to be properly regulated.
Mark Hayward, acting chief executive since the departure of Peter Bolton King, said that rogue agents would continue to rip off consumers unless action is taken.
Hayward was speaking out in response to a Government consultation called Empowering and Protecting Consumers, which seeks to reform institutions.
Hayward said: “We agree that consumer protection is paramount, and nowhere is it more so than in the housing industry. Therefore we believe more needs to be done to safeguard consumers against rogue estate and lettings agents.
“Currently, there is no guarantee that consumers are getting good quality of service during the process of buying, selling, letting or renting a home, as there is no requirement for estate or lettings agents to be qualified.
“To this end, we would like to see a review of the current estate agent ‘negative licensing’ system – which means estate agents do not need a licence.
“Negative licensing is wholly insufficient in protecting consumers against bad practice, and we would far rather see formal, statutory regulation of estate agents – and lettings agents – be introduced.
“As the NAEA and ARLA, we have our own agent licensing and regulation schemes, but while there is no uniform regulation scheme, effective across the UK, rogue agents that operate outside professional bodies like our own, will continue to take advantage of consumers.
“The most efficient way of implementing this kind of regulation would be for a single government agency to be set up to regulate both the sales and lettings industries.
“The Government has a prime opportunity at this junction to help consumers be consistently treated more fairly and we urge it to take action.”
Comments
the nfopp board member's presentation
http://www.scribd.com/doc/91200717/Mike-Toogoods-Presentation
is frankly hillarious and says it all
NFOPP are completely deluded. Declining numbers of members must be due to something. (I know there has been a small increase recently, but numbers are way down on a few years ago).
What is the reason? Basically, they are flipping hopeless!!
Their pathetic failure to have any meaningful role actually representing their members view re the introduction of Money Laundering, Hips, and now EPC's leaves the membership wondering why they bother to pay the fees.
Until recently I was a member of the NAEA and ICBA. Some bright spark then decides that NAEA(the only logo anyone has heard of) is residential only, and I can only use ICBA. Who has heard of the ICBA unless you are a member or tell a Vendor what it is. ICBA - It Could Be Anything, or is it representative of NFOPP's interest in their commercial members - I Can't Be Ars*d!
Completely flipping useless boys club that achieves b*ggar all
Nfopp calling on government- surely government advisors do their research and see on these sites the amusement with nfopp and it's members etc- I only hope they see mr toogoods presentation too!
I agree that trying to legislate is not the solution.
There needs to be some sort of directory where the consumers can search in the public domain for individuals and view details of their credentials and their history.
Consumers can then select individuals (like the gassafe set up) and choose based on this information.
A small point - can someone please spell 'rogues' right - they are not a type of cosmetic!
@wardy on 2012-04-13 14:32:51
Sorry, cannot agree with you over your 'solution'.
There are not that many 'criminals', some rouges yes but they will always be there whatever 'controls/licenses etc are around. Just look at the reported misdemeanors of other highly regulated professions. There are plenty of rules and regulations etc. in place already that apply to agents but they are not enforced. So we legislate some more, which again would not be enforced?
NFOPP saying agents need to be qualified
here's one of its board members presentation on estate agency
Not sure NFOPP are qualified to speak on estate agency let alone on qualification of estate agents
http://www.slideshare.net/pppetepetepete/michael-toogoods-presentation
Ray,
I would rather be bound in a bit of red tape (which the ones of us that take any notice, are anyway) than allow some of the rouges that are out there operating as we speak to continue. It’s the only way that those of us that play by the rules can get ahead of the one that don’t. There are criminals in our industry that run their businesses with impunity which has to stop.
@mercedes man on 2012-04-13 07:59:41
Quite.
The NAEA used to make a fairly good job of guiding, advising and disciplining its members. Then it formed and became part of the NFoPP (a very big mistake) which has morphed into a "consumer protection" organisation - . Now it is all about wanting a specific government department to take control!
Any one who wants that should realise that in future you would be looking over your shoulder constantly at civil servant "jobsworths" so much that your job becomes impossible, bogged down in even more "red tape" and controls. The Law Society and the RICS seem to be able to run things properly for their members. It only takes having the right educational facilities, business procedures and disciplinary punishments to do so..
We shoould never, ever, want the government to intervene and take any more control in any shape or form.
perhaps he should put his own house in order and stop selling bogus qualification initials???
The NAEA need to wake up, thats why i and many others resigned after many years. When Big T was in charge it was a great organisation. My VERY succesful business is not licenced but we have very high standards and look after our clients in the manner we would expect to be looked after ourselves.