Current Property News: Good practise stops Fake Agents operating!

By Steve Roulstone

A report in the press at the weekend, has stated that Tenants should look out for fake ‘agents’ operating through the web, as false sites have been set up to mimic the way in which the sites for genuine registered agents appear, even including the logos and details of the industry approved bodies such as ARLA. As a professional member of ARLAjust as a Letting Agent, I always look at articles like this and compare what would happen to anybody visiting my agency, Castle Estates.

Good practise

I am pleased to confirm that our good practises would ensure that this could never happen with us. Meaning, that by ensuring good practises are always offered to our clients, they should be the wiser as well. Of course the only way good practises can be widely known, is to respond to such articles by advertising them, that way, hopefully, more people will be better informed in the future, ensuring they do not get caught out in this manner. So what we would always ensure is:

Deposit at the start of the Tenancy.

Any deposit is refundable under law, if the subject for the deposit is not purchased, entered in too or commenced. Therefore, there is no way that any Deposit should be taken until the day that the Tenancy commences. This will ensure at a stroke that no monies are lost through paying for a property which does not exist. This is because the contract does not actually exist until it is signed and Tenants under most circumstances, should sign at the property, on the day of the start of the Tenancy, when keys are released and monies become due (Rent)

No viewing – No fees accepted.

It has long been a golden rule within our Company that no Tenant is allowed to pay the initial Referencing and Documentation fee, without first viewing the property in person. This was introduced to ensure that our Landlords were not left with a tenant that we had not seen (Difficult to justify ensuring Tenants sourced through us are acceptable without meeting them first) either pulling out when they do see the property because it was not as expected, or ending up being a poor Tenant and not respecting the agreement. There have been occasions where the reason behind the request has been genuine, but that is where relatives or Company representatives can carry out the role and give us a situation we can work with. Not forgetting that all applications would be referenced as well.

Simple principals, Best outcome.

So our advice to avoid disappointment, as the saying goes, is to follow these simple rules, then Tenants will not fall fowl of criminal activities of this nature. Of course it is once again professionalism and education that will ensure such matters are well known by all. I say once again, because nearly every scenario where our industry is either poorly represented or open to corruption such as these false agents operating on the web, would be answered by professional standards and registration of agents. This will provide the insurance and education that our customers, as either Tenants or Landlords, need as they will know what to ask for and expect when renting property. Of course, traditional methods of visiting the Companies premises and or viewing in person take care of the problem in one fell swoop, which is why I still feel that we are some way from an industry which is solely represented by web presence alone!