The sister company of a firm that went into liquidation has told its local paper that it is enjoying success and going from strength to strength.
Charles Carr, in Bitterne, Southampton, was founded in 2015 with four staff in one branch and now employs 14 in two offices. It said that despite media reports, it is finding market conditions “to be strong in a vibrant property scene”.
Earlier this month, The Property Ombudsman warned buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords in Southampton that CE Property, trading as Charles Carr from Bitterne Precinct, had been expelled because it had not paid an award of £350 to a complainant.
TPO said that CE Property would not be able to trade until it paid. However, TPO acknowledged that CE Property would be unlikely to pay as it had gone into administration, and said that a firm was trading under the same name and from the same premises.
The complainant landlord had said that Charles Carr did not attend a check-out, that cleaning by the contractor used was not satisfactory, that the agent had re-let the property without communicating with the complainant, and returned the tenant’s deposit without his knowledge.
The agent had responded, acknowledging not carrying out inspections as often as it would have liked, but rejecting the other complaints.
TPO upheld parts of the complaint and ordered the payment. As this was unpaid, TPO expelled the firm.
Gerry Fitzjohn, chairman of TPO’s finance committee, said: “As a member of TPO, agents are obliged to comply with awards made by the Ombudsman, which Charles Carr has failed to do.
“Although the company has gone into liquidation and has therefore ceased trading, a new company trading under the same name but with no linked directors is trading from the same address. This agent is registered with the other redress scheme, PRS.”
Charles Carr has now made it clear in the local press that it is separate from CE Property.
Sales director Lloyd Westall said: “We have definitely overcome a few challenges over the past few years.
“We used to have a sister company, CE Property, which managed the lettings side of the business, but after one of our former partners ran into financial difficulty at the end of the last year the entire business was adopted by the Charles Carr brand.
“Since the start of the year we have been working hard to demonstrate our commitment to – and responsibility for – our existing landlords by hiring new staff, reviewing our internal procedures and signing up to both the Property Redress Scheme and the Deposit Protection Scheme.
“As a result, we have attracted a host of new clients who are trusting us with the management of their rental properties.”
According to Companies House, CE Property was dissolved on February 5.
Its director, Lee Martin Carr, is no longer a director of Charles Carr estate agents.
One word: Murky.
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“Since the start of the year we have been working hard to demonstrate our commitment to – and responsibility for – our existing landlords by hiring new staff, reviewing our internal procedures and signing up to both the Property Redress Scheme and the Deposit Protection Scheme”
But couldn’t stump up the £350 that was awarded to a landlord who had reason to complain…?
No linked directors you say, TPO? The current sales director of Charles Carr E/A says Lee Martin Carr was one of the former partners but ran into financial difficulty.
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