Adverts for rented homes must be more accurate says Trading Standards

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Descriptions used by letting agents to advertise landlords’ properties to potential tenants must be more accurate, guidance from Trading Standards outlines today.

As many landlords will know, agents use a plethora of different terms to market properties both online, in branch windows and on boards, but the National Trading Standards team monitoring the industry believes many are used inaccurately or not updated quick enough.

This can lead to “frustration and delay in the home buying and renting process” for example when a home hunter phones up an agent to enquire, only to find it’s already been rented out.

Agents who both let and sell properties are being reminded that it is their legal responsibility to update the details of properties offered and National Trading Standards has issued a new list of preferred terms which are:

New on the market – A property that has not been advertised since the last sale or let of that home.

New Instruction – A property where an agent has recently been instructed to market (and which may have been offered for sale by another agent without being sold or let).

New and Exclusive – A property that is either a new instruction or new on the market which is exclusive to that agent or portal (depending on the context).

New Method of Let – for example when a landlord or agent decides to only accept sealed bids having previously not done so.

These changes may seem technical, but they are designed to stop agents marketing rented properties as ‘available’ or ‘just launched’ when they are not, boosting their stock and making them look more successful locally than they are, although Trading Standards are too polite to spell this out. Some agents also keep marketing properties that have been rented in order to attract potential tenants for other homes.

Clarity

Emma Cooke, Policy & Information Manager, National Trading Standards Estate & Letting Agency Team, says: “Agents commonly use terms like ‘new on the market’, ‘new instruction’, ‘under offer’, ‘sale/let agreed’, ‘sold/let subject to contract’ in advertisements, marketing boards and on property portal listings.

“This updated guidance is intended to provide consistency and clarity and – by providing a working definition – we hope this helps reduce unnecessary confusion for property agents, consumers, and other organisations in the property industry.”

Fair and accurate

Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at the PRS, (pictured) adds: “This guidance will help estate agents and their customers have a clear understanding of what are fair and accurate descriptions to use in advertising and to avoid complaints about misleading or unfair terms.

“It will also help agents avoid complaints with us and awards going against them for misdescription or worse prosecution by Trading Standards und consumer protection regulations.”

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