Where do I Lodge a Complaint Against an Estate Agent?

Even though estate agents seem to get a fair amount of bad press and certainly referenced in many sales themed jokes, with the amount of transactions that take place annually and the size of transactions they are entrusted with, it really is a mostly safe and trustworthy profession to use when it comes to buying / selling property. To be honest, without estate agents the process of property sales would be an awful lot harder and especially taking in to account all the behind the scenes work an estate agency has to carry out to complete a successful ‘sale’.

In recent years the whole estate agency industry has tightened up its regulatory belt and the service you can expect is much higher than in previous years / generations. Though you do not need any qualifications in order to become an estate agent, there are standards which you must adhere to and certainly when it comes to customer satisfaction and not misleading buyers / sellers.

As a consumer looking to engage with an estate agency, it does pay you to do your prior research, in the age of internet and the likes of review websites, you can simply go online and get a better understanding of how each ranks by previous customers comments / ratings.

Initially, from your estate agency, you should expect the following:

Fees: These should be clearly put to you and in writing prior to you instructing them / signing any paperwork. Full explanation of the terms such as ‘sole selling rights’, ‘sole agency’, or ‘ready, willing, and able purchaser’ should be clearly made including terms / costings of signing contracts. Any fees, especially prior fees, should be clearly stated.

Code of conduct: From being honest with property descriptions to valuations, an estate agency must provide unbiased and accurate information. They must treat you with respect and act within your pace and make sure you are fully understanding of each sales / purchase process. They should show no bias, they need to put forward all communications between parties (including offers) and should not advise you on any elements outside of their profession (ie skipping surveys).

How do I make an complaint against my estate agency?

When the situation arises that you need to make a complaint against your estate agent then the best place to start is directly with your estate agency. This might sound obvious, but most complaints are resolved this way as no estate agency wants a dissatisfied client and / or negative feedback.

If a complaint is not resolved at this level then you have the right to take things further and this means contacting the regulatory group / company / body that the estate agency is working under (ie National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)  or Property Ombudsman) and initiate a complaint with them. You should have as much evidence as possible and provide all the details that are requested of you – At this stage they will act as an intermediary to communicate between you / the estate agency in order to resolve a satisfactory conclusion. If the complaint is of a serious nature then more intense investigations will take place via the ‘regulatory body’ with even legal or criminal actions taking place.

Most times a sincere apology or a reduction in agency fees is the solution up to a smaller fee compensation. Rarer, though still a possibility, would be large sum compensations, legal actions, media / press shaming and even suspension / fines.

 

Title image credit Pixabay

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

UK monthly property transactions for May 2025

Headline statistics from the latest transactions data include: the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in May 2025 is 81,470, 12% lower than May 2024 and 25% higher than April 2025 the provisional non-seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in May 2025 is 80,530, 13% lower than May 2024 and…
Read More
Breaking News

Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) shows the Government has a plan

The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) held its first board meeting today (26 June 2025), where it set out a roadmap for recruiting 100,000 more construction workers a year by the end of Parliament. Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said: “The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) is a recognition…
Read More
Paint Stripper Tools
Estate Agent Talk

5 Strategies to Optimise Your Warehouse for Real Estate

The term fixer-upper can mean many things, from ‘slap some paint on the walls and it looks brand new’ to ‘will this building collapse if we open the front door?’ Indeed, in the dicey world of commercial property acquisition, each warehouse you buy will probably fall into both camps. Thinking about the viability of warehouses…
Read More
Breaking News

HMOs sell for up to 50% above market average

New research from Excellion Capital, the boutique debt advisory and investment firm, reveals that HMOs sell for as much as 50% above the average house price, further increasing their investment potential after it was revealed that HMOs also create rental yields of up to 12.5%. After previous research from Excellion Capital recently showed that the…
Read More
Breaking News

UK buyers struggle while 50,000 homes sit empty

As the UK housing crisis deepens, new analysis by Open Property Group exposes a worrying surge in so-called “zombie homes”- properties that sit unoccupied and deteriorating while millions struggle to access affordable housing. Key insights: 50,000+ long-term vacant homes in England alone 23,000+ of these have been empty for more than two years Estimated £13.6…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 26/06/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   The UK is Europe’s second most distressed market despite headline GDP growth Retail and Consumers Goods has emerged as the most distressed sector in Europe, with distress levels now the highest since the global financial crisis, according to the latest Weil European Distress Index (WEDI). The…
Read More