Landlords 'embrace private sales'
Published: 09-Aug-2007
Landlords are increasingly opting to buy new properties privately, as frustration with the services and fees provided by estate agents mounts.
That's the opinion of Ariane Decloux, a spokesperson for HouseWeb. She added that landlords adding to their portfolio would feel more confident if they have direct contact with the seller.
In a recent Which? survey, 29 out of the 38 estate agent contacts that were examined were found to have breached the Estate Agents Act or the Unfair Contract Terms Regulations.
Ms Decloux said that landlords and other house buyers had lost "confidence" in the service offered by estate agents. She added that landlords looking to buy in this manner gain "confidence in communication and I think doing this through a third party is one of the disadvantages [of using an estate agent]".
Similarly, Martin Charlick, managing director of the Little House Company, said that landlords have become frustrated "over bad service and over-pricing by agents".
He added: "With the advent of widespread cheap internet access and especially broadband … people are finally waking up to the fact that like many other products and services that can be bought and sold online, it is an easy step to sell property directly too."
