The estate agency industry regulator has confirmed that it is actively investigating specific firms accused of portal juggling.
The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team issued a statement last week which said, as many readers suspected, that the practice of portal juggling is illegal.
But in a further comment to EYE a spokesman confirmed that there are firms under investigation.
The spokesman said: “National Trading Standards is committed to protecting consumers and safeguarding legitimate businesses. At any one time, our teams will be working on a number of active investigations.
“We cannot comment in detail on these as it could jeopardise the outcomes of our ongoing operations.
“However, we can confirm that a number of businesses who were alleged to have been actively ‘portal juggling’ have been referred to local Trading Standards and we are working with them on those investigations.”
Portal juggling involves the deliberate removal of properties on major property portals before relisting them to make them appear new on the market.
It comes after months of protests and huge amounts of evidence delivered by a handful of determined estate agents and allies, horrified at the practice and who have battled frustration after frustration to get their concerns even understood, much less acknowledged or dealt with.
Almost all the evidence has been seen by EYE. When we have asked questions of various parties, reactions have included legal threats and failures to comment. Or we have been told that the problem simply doesn’t exist, or that it is due to an IT issue.
On Friday, EYE editor Rosalind Renshaw tweeted that she had only that day received yet another blatant example of portal juggling. It concerned a property listed as new on August 12; research showed it had been actively marketed by one agent on Rightmove from February this year, and by a second between April 22 and July 8. The second agent put it back on Rightmove as “new” on August 12, at the same asking price and with the same description.
Comments (21)
It doesn’t matter if there is no fine at all, the cost of playing the game like the decent folk do is an ongoing cost that hasn’t been factored in and so is a wonderful and permanent fine.
Does any body into what this man is even talking about.
Yes, thank you.
And he doesn’t need predictive texting to confuse the h£11 outta you the way you regularly do to everyone else…
Have to love the cynical do nowt!
There is a cost far greater than any fine that can be imposed by a regulator immediately slapped on the sorts to whom honesty means nothing; honesty itself!
This time last year one mouthy sorts claimed to be selling everything on their books within 3 months of listing, that has stopped. This time last year one mouthy sorts reckoned to achieve 99% of asking price, those claims now carry a DFS style caveat that makes the claims as hollow as the promise to respect a bit of easy rough
I’ll put 20 quid on the words “resolved” and “informally” appearing in the next statement from NTSEAT.
Terrible odds
can’t take your money
As these practices include activities that are criminal offences, including fraud, the penalties can include heavy fines, banning orders and jail.
Yes yes that’s right they can. And they will threaten that.
But how much is the fine?
Is it enough of a deterant against those who would maybe take the fine against loss of business?
Don’t delude yourself into thinking jail time is going to happen to anyone. The law of the land will not punish anyone unless it sees it has no choice to protect the public from the crime happening again.
Ylu talk like your expecting a witch Hunt.
For legal reasons I can’t comment a great deal further but, suffice to say, I expect to see a couple of example cases and, if not, I will be seeking legal advice on bringing private prosecutions.
Eamonn
You are right – my head’s definitely gone.
Comes from decades of banging it against the miles-thick brick wall that is made up of people with attitudes like yours.
Dont confuse people’s admiration ( including mine) for highlighting the issue to trading standards as automatically accepting that something meaningful will result.
all you have succeeded in doing is win a moral victory that no one disagreed with.
Im a cynic and believe red tape will ultimately see a slap on wrists for perpetrators.
wastibg time believing something else shows your
Heads gone
The big question for me is whether this practice has been used to oversell a company’s size and success and has then sold shares in itself.
That’s a great point. I will go one stage further. In my opinion I think purple bricks could be where the smoke is is. .
sew me for having an opinion guys.
“Im a cynic and believe red tape will ultimately see a slap on wrists… wastibg time believing something else shows your Heads gone”
So – it’s accept your belief or else I’m mentally afflicted – and I assume that applies to anyone who dares to believe differently.
Good luck with that attitude – it may serve you well – but for some reason I now envisage you as someone wearing a constant black eye…
And for the record, I don’t know what will be the end result.
I’m simply doing my bit to end the practice, for the good of the industry and the public we serve.
If that’s a symptom of my head being gone – then so be it.
” the public we serve”. Im sorry I had no idea I was talking to a civil servant expecting a nomination for the honours list. I’m sure you mean the public who purchases your service.
OR am I being Silly, thinking you where a privateer , a business, a private operation looking to make a profit now and again.
Estate agent a public service. What are your Jeremy corbyns left b……..k
“What are your Jeremy corbyns left b……..k”
Nope – but you’re making a name for yourself as EYE’s biggest b£11£nd…
Happy days,
Innit just.
Happier again when you see the first results of what is being fought for here.
How heavy are punishments?
Typical slap on wrist or something more inline?
You know it will be a slap on the wrists. That of course when they do look at it. Activity looking at it could mean they acknowledge receipt of complaint but haven’t got the A team on it yet.