Menu

News

End to rogue agents? Government seeks to professionalise estate agent market

27th April 2018

In a bid to drive up standards and bring an end to what Housing Secretary Sajid David calls ‘rogue estate agents’, the government announced recently the introduction of new measures, including making it a requirement for estate agents to hold a professional qualification.

The new measures will also require estate agents to be transparent about the fees they receive for referring clients to solicitors.

The changes are aimed at bringing estate agents in line with other professions, including solicitors, surveyors and conveyancers.

Currently, anybody can practice as an estate agent. However, delays and unnecessary complications can often arise. An estimated 6 out of 10 buyers and sellers claimed they have experienced stress, with 25% saying they would use a different estate agent next time.

Further, delays and uncertainty leads to around a quarter of house sales falling through annually.

At Ansons Solicitors in Staffordshire, we will be working closely with our trusted estate agents to ensure that the new measures are put into place smoothly and we continue to provide our clients with an excellent conveyancing service. Our experienced solicitors will guide you through every step of the conveyancing process, with no hidden fees.

The contents of this article are for the purposes of general awareness only. They do not purport to constitute legal or professional advice. The law may have changed since this article was published.  Readers should not act on the basis of the information included and should take appropriate professional advice upon their own particular circumstances.