Estate Agency Flashcards
What is the Global Statement?
RICS Global Real Estate Agency and Brokerage Professional Statement (2016)
What is the UK Professional Statement?
RICS UK Commercial Estate Agency Professional Statement (2016)
What does the UK Professional Statement Provide?
A set of mandatory standards for RICS members involved in agency and real estate management work supported by detailed guidance
The statement provides twelve core principles which agents must observe
What are the 12 core principles within the Professional Statement?
- Act in an honest, fair, transparent and professional manner
- Carry out work with due skill, care and due diligence and ensure all staff employed have the necessary skills to carry out their tasks
- Ensure that clients are provided with terms of business - which are fair and clear with details of CHP
- Do the upmost the avoid COI - where they do arise deal with them openly and fairly
- Not to discriminate unfairly in any dealings
- All communications with clients are fair, decent, clear, timely and transparent
- All advertising and marketing material is honest and truthful
- Client money is held separately and is covered by adequate insurance
- Hold app PII to ensure the customer does not suffer a loss from a negligent act
- Make it clear the identity of your client and ensure all parties are clear of your obligations to each party
- Give realistic assessments of selling prices/rents/financial costs have regard to market evidence and using best professional judgement
- Ensure all meetings, inspections and viewing are carried out in accordance with the clients wishes with regard
What is the advice for the key areas in estate agency?
Acting ethically - duty of care / gifts / incentives / COI
Securing instructions - legal requirements / AML checks / types of agency & H&S
Marketing the property - legal requirements / market appraisal / preparing particulars
Implementing the disposal - methods of sale & legal requirements
Acquisition of property - COI / Client comms / progressing purchases
What is the Blue Book?
RICS UK Residential Real Estate Agency Professional Statement (2017)
What is the purpose of the Blue Book?
Mandatory professional statement
Provides a summary of code practice in all aspects of property marketing for residential property
Does not relate to commercial property
What does the Blue Book include?
Relevant estate agency legislation
Standards and ethics
Before securing the instructions
Property marketing
Acting for the vendor, purchaser and landlord
Ending the instruction
What is the key estate agent legislation?
Estate Agents Act 1979
What can the Estate Agents Act apply to?
Disposal or acquisition of an interest in land
Freehold property
Leasehold property with a capital value
Land as well as buildings
What are the principles of the Estate Agents Act 1979?
- Clarity as to the terms of the agency
- Honesty and accuracy
- Agreement and liability for costs
- Openness regarding personal interests
- Absence of discrimination
- Legal obligation to tell the client about offers received
- Keep clients money seperate
Key parts of the Estate Agents Act 1979?
- Specify all costs / fees in advance, in writing in the terms of business
- Itemise all payments - no global budgets allowed
- Specify nature of agency and selling right to be agreed
- Sole selling rights or sole agency rights
- Sole, joint sole agency or multiple agency - Advise clients of any services available to applicant ie. financial advice
- Disclosure of personal interest
- Personal interest should be disclosed on HOT as a minimum and if app not continue to act
- Misrepresentation of interest/offers - you can only tell the truth regarding offers received
- Handling clients money - follow the RICS rules
- Procedures to follow when offers are received promptly and in writing
Who is the Estate Agents Act 1979 policed by?
National Trading Standards Estate & Letting Agency Team (NTSEAT)
Powys County Council - work closely with the local authorities and have enforcement rights
What is Negative Licensing?
Where the right to be an estate agent is taken away and not granted
This is a penalty for Estate Agents Act 1979
Penalties of the Estate Agents Act 1979
Negative licensing
Prohibition or warning order can be made against an agent
Prohibition order stops an agent practicing
Warning orders are less punitive - just written warning not to undertake the action again
Usually only 10-12 orders issued a year
Can apply to individuals or a practice and costs can also be awarded
What was the Order made under the Estate Agents Act 1979?
Estate Agents (Undesirable Practices) (No 2) Order 1991
What does the Estate Agents (Undesirable Practices) (No 2) Order 1991 do?
Estate agent must inform their clients at the same time as they are informed about their terms of business, as to any services to be offered to prospective purchasers unless offered free of charge
What are the regulations with regards to Estate Agency?
Estate Agents (Provisions of Information) Regulations 1991
What do the Estate Agents (Provisions of Information) Regulations 1991 relate to?
Provisions of information which should be supplied to a client
This information must provide information in writing regarding:
- The services to be provided
- Remuneration
How long is a cooling off period and what does it mean?
14 days
Allowed for clients who change their minds and do not want to instruct the agent in accordance with the current consumer protection regulation
Please can you tell me about the Public Register of Overseas Property Ownership in the UK?
- A registration of Overseas Entities Bill is proposed but the government has not issued a timetable for it
- Government hopes it will prevent money laundering in the property sector and make the UK a world leader in corporate transparency
- It may require overseas companies to provide details of their ultimate owners to make the UK property market more transparent and to declare the beneficial owner of properties purchased by non-UK parties
- The info will be placed on a public register
- Currently Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) - can be applied to the owner of any property asset over £50,000 where the Government has reasonable ground for suspecting criminal funds have been used