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. […]

Estate agents must not make any misrepresentation – including information on the transaction prices of other properties – which may mislead their clients. Otherwise, they may be subject to disciplinary action by the Estate Agents Authority. An estate agent acted for both parties in a shop transaction. The vendor told the agent that according to […]

If estate agents know properties are involved in legal proceedings they should disclose the facts to clients because a transaction might involve risks. The risks could include a property’s price being affected. One estate agent went awry in acting for both the purchaser and the vendor in a transaction of two properties in an industrial […]

Estate agents should bear in mind that disseminating unverified transaction information is an irresponsible act and brings disrepute to the trade. An estate agency company’s branch manager claimed to have received an inquiry from a potential purchaser interested in several flats in the same development. The potential buyer did not inspect the flats but indicated […]