Estate agents who forgot to mention the bodies buried in the garden
... and other spivvy exploits that will make your hair curl
WHEN a housing market booms, buyers’ and sellers’ expectations soar. One side wants t hei r property marketed as aggressively as possible to grab the highest price; the other to drive a bargain to avoid being out of pocket.
Amid the frenzy, estate agents try to accommodate both sides. however, in their desperation to grab a sale or exploit a property, things can go badly wrong.
Sometimes it’s the estate agents at fault — but, occasionally, so, too, are the customers. here are f i ve of the most outrageous complaints made to the independent property ombudsman:
SPACIOUS GARDEN (BODIES INCLUDED)
WHEN advertising a property in the grounds of a cemetery, it is not unreasonable to include this salient point. however, the agent in question failed to do so.
The ad also omitted to disclose that the cemetery and property were Grade II listed or warn that human remains had been found buried in the garden.
Incredibly, the agent did not even mention an ongoing investigation to determine if there were other bodies in the vicinity. OMBUDSMAN’S VERDICT: Complaint upheld. Agent forced to disclose graveyard details.
I HATE THIS TOWN — I WANT A REFUND
If you are moving to a new town, you’d likely visit a few times before investing thousands in a property. fail to do your research and you have no one to blame but yourself.
however, one hapless buyer tried to get compensation from her estate agent when she decided she didn’t like the seaside resort she’d moved to.
She had approached the branch of a national agent and told staff two friends had moved to the town, so could they find her a home.
They did, and the buyer moved in weeks later.
however, she lodged a formal complaint months later, saying the resort was down-at-heel, did not suit her — and that ‘ vicious’ seagulls made it impossible to eat on her balcony.
She argued to the ombudsman that this information should have been disclosed to her — and she was due relocation compensation.
OMBUDSMAN’S VERDICT: Complaint rejected. A buyer is expected to discover if a town is suitable for their needs before moving.
FLAT USED FOR LOVERS’ TRYSTS
WHEN you entrust the keys to your home to an estate agent, you assume they are in the safe hands of a professional firm.
you do not expect t heir employees to use the flat to host a lovers’ tryst in your absence.
But one couple discovered this does happen.
unfortunately for the employees i n charge of selling the couple’s f l at, they were not aware a relative had been asked to keep an eye on it while the owners went on holiday.
During a routine visit, the family member chanced upon the amorous agents in the bedroom.
understandably, the property owners wanted compensation.
But while the staff were fired following a rather red-faced meet-- ing, the management refused to accept liability for their actions.
however, the ombudsman ruled the keys were the agent’s responsibility and the company failed in its duty of care to the vendors. OMBUDSMAN’S VERDICT: Complaint upheld. Estate agent fees do not include free use of your home for leisure activities.
‘FOR SALE’ SIGN PUT UP AT DAD’S WAKE
THE days following a death in the family can be a sensitive time. with funeral arrangements to make, selling the deceased’s property is not usually top priority in the first week. yet for one family, it was. Just hours after their remaining parent passed away they’d organised for an estate agent to price the property and put it on the market.
Aware that this might not be viewed as the most appropriate time to be doing so, they asked the firm to refrain f rom putting up a ‘ for sale’ sign until after the funeral the following week. however, a communication breakdown ensued — and when dozens of grieving relatives returned to the home for the wake, they were greeted by a sale board in the front garden.
Some might say it serves the sellers right for trying to flog their
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parent’s property so soon after their death.
But the ombudsman ruled the agent had failed in its responsibilities and had to compensate the son and daughter for the aggravation and inconvenience caused. OMBUDSMAN’S VERDICT: Complaint upheld. your need for a swift sale should not be open to unnecessary shame.
YOU DIDN’T TELL US ABOUT THE GHOSTS
AS HE walked down a dim corridor of the 200-year-old manor house and approached the master bedroom, he felt an icy breeze across his face.
he reached out, turned the door handle slowly and pushed the door ajar. Suddenly it slammed shut with such force it was as if someone had pushed it from the inside.
But there was no one in the room. his wife felt ill, pale and queasy. ‘Is this house haunted?’ she demanded.
This isn’t the opening chapter to a low-rent thriller. It’s the story of buyers who wanted compensation for not knowing they were buying a house with a horrid history. In this case, the spooked agent who was showing the couple around laughed off the question.
But the couple — who put down a non- refundable deposit to reserve it — stumbled across a book about the manor in a secondhand book shop that spelled out its sinister past.
It had been built by a cruel and wealthy shipping merchant said to haunt the master bedroom.
The fuming couple rang the agent and asked why the property’s origins had not been disclosed. They were pulling out of the sale and wanted their deposit back.
But the agents refused to refund the money. They claimed as they weren’t local to the area they didn’t know about it.
OMBUDSMAN’S VERDICT: Complaint rejected. An estate agent cannot investigate and prove if there was a supernatural presence during one viewing. If an agent knows a murder took place in the house you are looking to buy, they should tell you. however, they aren’t expected to know the property’s full history of previous residents.