INFORMATION ABOUT CLIENTS and listings is regarded as an asset of estate agency firms. Without their employer’s permission, licensees should not copy such information. If they do, they may breach the Code of Ethics and may be subject to disciplinary action by the Estate Agents Authority. Two licensees copied listings information from the computers of […]

ESTATE AGENTS MUST not issue any advertisements with misleading or wrong information. Otherwise, they may be subject to disciplinary action by the Estate Agents Authority. An estate agent had issued several advertisements of various firsthand residential properties on her personal blog with information including the gross floor area, the salable floor area and the selling […]

ESTATE AGENTS SHOULD provide accurate property information to clients and take reasonable steps to verify the related information. Otherwise, they may be subject to disciplinary action by the Estate Agents Authority. An estate agent arranged for a prospective purchaser to inspect Flat A on the 19th floor of a residential building and told her the […]

Estate agents should disclose to clients their personal interests in relation to properties they handle. Otherwise, they may be subject to disciplinary action by the Estate Agents Authority. In a leasing transaction, an estate agent told her tenant client the landlord lived overseas and she had full authority to handle the leasing of the flat. […]

A PROVISIONAL AGREEMENT for sale and purchase is a legally binding document. Estate agents should seek the written consent of both purchaser and vendor if either party would like to amend the terms of a PASP. In this sample case, an estate agent acted for both the purchaser and vendor. He first arranged for the […]

DO NOT BE tempted to engage in estate agency work without a license. Young people, for instance, may see an agency providing gap work between studies. In fact, many already take on summer jobs at agencies. However, they along with those doing the hiring should note that anyone who engages in such work must hold […]

Estate agents must ascertain the correct name of the vendor in a property transaction, otherwise they may be subject to disciplinary action by the Estate Agents Authority. An agent was entrusted by a developer with promoting a project involving small houses in the New Territories. Some homes in the development had already been sold earlier, […]

Estate agents must ensure a vendor’s representative has proper authorization to sign the provisional agreement for sale and purchase on a client’s behalf. If that is lacking they could face disciplinary action by the Estate Agents Authority. An estate agent who acted for purchasers in a property transaction provided them with a land search of […]

Real estate agents must comply with various requirements when placing advertisements for residential properties – including obtaining written consent from the vendor beforehand. In addition, they must not issue any adverts containing misleading or false information. Otherwise, they may be subject to disciplinary action by the Estate Agents Authority. An estate agency company appointed an […]

Estate agents must not offer or make loans to prospective purchasers of firsthand residential properties. If they do, they may be subject to disciplinary action by the Estate Agents Authority. A salesperson approached two prospective purchasers at a shopping mall to promote the sale of first-hand residential properties without getting the permission from the mall. […]