Estate agents take action

The recent BBC1 Whistleblower programme highlighted the malpractice of four UK estate agents and caused a massive stir within the press. Whilst it was bad news for those particular agents, the overall impact could turn out to be positive for the industry.

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has been taking a stand against rogue estate agents and calling for better regulation of the industry for some time now. Whilst only a handful of agents actually engage in malpractice, their actions have a huge effect on the integrity of the industry as a whole. Through our PR activities over the year, we have been working closely with the NAEA to promote its views on many important issues including consumer redress and estate agent regulation.

The PR campaign surrounding the Whistleblower programme achieved fantastic results. NAEA Chief Executive Peter Bolton King was interviewed on the BBC Six O’Clock News and appeared on GMTV to talk alongside the journalist who went undercover for the programme. Added to this, he was interviewed by a number of national and regional radio stations, and coverage was gained in national newspapers including The Independent, The Mail on Sunday and The Observer.