At least a quarter of estate agency listings are missing legally required material information, according to a new report.
Property data firm Moverly analysed more than 500,000 online listings to see if they included the property’s tenure and whether it has parking. Both of these are included in National Trading Standards’ list of required material information, and failing to include them in a listing is a breach of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.
While 96% of the listings included tenure information, a quarter didn’t contain anything on parking. As Moverly’s spokesperson pointed out, the true number of incomplete listings could be much higher. The firm only analysed two pieces of material information out of 21 listed by National Trading Standards.
Parts B and C of the material information requirements came into force in November 2023, giving estate agents a year to familiarise themselves with the rules. But some agents have criticised the guidance, saying that much of the information isn’t material to buyers and may be difficult or impossible to collect.
Material information made easy
Leaving the required material information out of listings can put agents at risk of fines and even imprisonment under consumer protection laws. It can also result in agencies being barred from trading under the Estate Agents Act 1979.
Since June 2024, Reapit users can upload all the required material information from parts A, B and C of the guidance to the platform.
Information added on Reapit is automatically synced to the relevant property portals, so it appears on all your online listings.
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