Quinovic takes back troubled franchise

Quinovic has taken back the management of its Te Aro, Wellington, office from its franchisees.

The property management office has had a string of highprofile problems.

It ran advertisements in August last year that were criticised for being degrading to tenants. One appeared to question landlords on whether they were charging too little rent, by asking them if they were financing their tenants’ social life. Another said tenants would ‘‘hate’’ Quinovic.

In January, the firm was forced to admit it was running fake Facebook reviews.

Chief operating officer Paul Chapman said at the time there was no record on the Quinovic database of property owners or tenants associated with alleged fake Facebook reviews. Fake reviews had also been found and ‘‘flagged’’ on Google.

One tenant said dealing with the firm was the worst renting experience she had ever had.

Now, Chapman has confirmed the franchisor has taken over the operation of the Te Aro franchise and appointed a staff member as general manager.

Chapman referred to communication sent to clients and tenants, in which he said: ‘‘We are currently in discussions with the existing property management staff, however, in the interim we ask that all queries relating to your property be directed to [the new manager] in the first instance.

‘‘Taking over the operations of the Te Aro franchise is not a decision that the franchisor has taken lightly and it follows two very public incidents involving the franchise; unauthorised advertising in August 2018 and more recently fake Facebook and Google reviews.

‘‘We are hoping that the transition to group office management will be smooth and seamless but ask for your patience in advance with any transitional issues.’’