A boycott of advertising website PropertyPal.com by estate agents over increases in its fees has been concluded after the dispute with the property portal was settled.
A prominent group of estate agents collectively made the decision to stop posting listings on the website PropertyPal in a row over fees earlier this year.
The decision to pull listings on 29 February came after PropertyPal announced it had a new system for charging for listings.
PropertyPal, which is the largest property website in Northern Ireland for sales and rentals, said at the time that the decision to hike fees was “aimed at delivering enhanced value and services”.
The decision by some estate agents to stop listings on the site was communicated in a letter sent on behalf of a steering group representing agents from across Northern Ireland.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Stephen McCarron, an estate agent based in Londonderry, said agents felt “coerced and bullied”.
He claimed in February that under the new proposed system estate agents could expect to pay 25-45% more per listing on the PropertyPal website.
The steering group was made up of several of the largest property retailers in Northern Ireland including CPS, Simon Brien, UPS, Reeds Rains, and Donnybrook.
In the letter the estate agents said they feel they “have no alternative but to take drastic action”.
It is understood the proposed changes to the pricing structure would move from a set fee per listing to a membership-type scheme with different tiers.
But in a statement over the weekend PropertyPal said when it met with the group of agents “there was a mutual desire for a positive resolution and to move forward constructively”.
“As a result, the majority of all agents are using PropertyPal to advertise their property listings,” the statement continued.
McCarron said PropertyPal had given him an assurance that estate agents would be consulted on any changes going forward.
“I was given an undertaking by PropertyPal that if anything happens it will be discussed in advance of it happening and our opinions sought,” he said.
PropertyPal had a change of leadership in May with Jordan Buchanon taking over as CEO.
I’ve decided the biggest problem is Google search.
The search results need to be rotated. It’s self fulfilling , that the busiest sites are at top of the search.
And this just keeps repeating.
I’ve left feedback on Google search( 3 dots next to the favoured company) .
Not sure if anything trading standards can do. Or asa_uk . Who again are allowing purplebricks fake adverts.
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How much is propertyPal ?
Imagine there were 3 portals offering the exact same thing.
2 are £200 and 1 is £1800 .
Imagine everyone choosing the £1800 one..
Ha ha ha ..
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.. who in their right mind?
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This proves that agents grouping together to pull listings from a portal, to prevent the portal from increasing its prices, is NOT cartel behaviour, which could be illegal under CMA rules
An interesting case study!
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It shows how controlled English are. No other country would allow rightmove to do this.
When do they teach us to act alone.. it must be subtle but it’s there in every part of our lives.
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