How to Make a Complaints About Your Estate Agent

Are you sick of your estate agent? If you are, then it’s completely fine. Don’t get disappointed. 

A study shows there is a significant rise in the complaint against real estate agents. In 2018 the ombudsman received 5106 formal complaints against agents.

We know that buying and selling houses is stressful. It makes your life hell when your estate agents are not up to the mark. 

There are a few steps you can take if you are not pleased with your estate agent.

Let us introduce you to the process of how you can make a complaint about your estate agent.

 

When to complaint 

In 2013, the government altered the law, ensuring that all estate agents must comply with the strict measures put in place under  Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations(CPRs). These stringent measures mean the estate agents must follow specific rules :

1. Provide you with correct details of all fees included in the contract.
2. Not try to neglect you because of your gender, race, religion, age etc. 
3. Explain to you the meaning of all the written in the contract paper. This also includes any verbal pieces of information too. 
4. Be punctual and respectful when carrying out their duties.
5. Must complete all the work timely for their client.

Any violations of these rules can be considered as a cause for complaints.

You can make an official complaint about them when you are not satisfied with their service.

Don’t be scared to make any complaints because the law is always there to help you. 

Complaint directly to the agent 

Before stepping forward to any official complaint, it’s best to speak directly to your estate agent.

Tell them about your dissatisfaction. Be clear with them so that they can amend their mistakes. They deserve to get a chance to put everything in order. They can not solve the issue immediately, so give them some time to put everything in place. Give them at least eight weeks of time.

Even if they don’t resolve the issues, you can now step forward to make a formal complaint.

Write a formal letter to complaint

If speaking does not help, then write a letter mentioning your reason for complaints to take legal action. 

In the letter you should include :

• What you are complaining about
• What actions do you want them to take
• Any evidence if you have against your agent

If you are not aware of how to write a letter, please go through this template letter we have provided for you.

Complaints via “the property redress scheme.”

A redress scheme can resolve disputes between customers and their estate agents.

At first, make sure that your estate agent is a member of any of the following scheme:

1. The property redress scheme 
2. The Property Ombudsman 

After you have applied your formal complaint, the above redress scheme will investigate the matter. 

The property redress scheme :

If talking with the agent does not help, then  against your agent via the TPRS. It was established to provide you service for dealing with complaints.

After you have complained, the property redress scheme will investigate the matter. If the agents are found guilty, actions will be taken against them according to the law. 

They can make the agents do the following 

• Apologise to you 
• Reimburse you loss 

The Property Ombudsman (TPO):

The TPO is a redress body that was established to provide you with free, fair services to help their customers out of any problems with their estate agents. 

Before applying for complaints, make sure you have talked to tour agents and gave them sufficient time to resolve the issue.

The complaint process is similar to TPRS

One of their responsibilities is to investigate the matter, hear both sides of the story, and then take action accordingly.

Another way to complaint

Nonetheless, you can also take actions via :

1. Courts – the process is expensive 
2. Complaints to a trade association 

Complain to a trade association :

If you are unhappy with the treatment you have received from your agents, members of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) have strict rules.

Check the NAEA site to see if your agent is a member of that association.

All the members are bound by strict rules so the NAEA can take actions on your behalf.

Take the matter to the court:

It’s a pretty big step and way too costly. So make sure if you want to go down with the road. 

Go through the internal complaints procedure first. And, then, if it is required, take your complaints further. 

To make the complaints, first discuss with your solicitor. It’s also important to accumulate evidence against your estate agent.

You can also cancel your contract at any time you want, but you may have to give some cancellation fee.

That is the whole process of how you should complain against your estate agent.

Here are some tips for you so you can choose a reliable estate agents for you

There are good and bad agents in the market. That’s why you should know the difference. Before hiring them, you should consider some factors.

• Make sure your agent does not have a busy schedule. If he does, he won’t be able to make time for you
• Make sure the agent has pretty good experience in the field so that they can make the best deal for you
• A professional agent with a good reputation
• Communication skill should be topnotch. The agent should also have great negotiation skills. 
• Reach to the estate agent with whom you would like to work before to make sure they have knowledge of the complaints procedure in place
• Know their fees before hiring them

Sometimes exceptions occur. Even considering all the aforementioned factors, you might get a bad agent. Don’t worry, it’s just an exception. You will be more likely to get a good estate agent. Best of luck!