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Dear Sheila ! Letters to the Editor Re: Arla TO aiic ARTWORK
QUARTERv3.indd 1 JUNGLEdrum!
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16/10/10 15:54:12
Dear Sheila Open letter to those in power at ARLA When I read the amended touting rules published last July my heart sank as I realised that the thin edge of the wedge was starting to force its way in. Having started in the agency business (known then as a profession) over forty years ago and watched agents’ behaviour ebb and flow, I have noticed a correlation between the reputation of agents and how aggressively they behave. It is clear to me that the public do not like the sharp kiddies. What has prompted me to
write this letter, rather than sink into depressed acceptance of the current atmosphere, is the recent experience suffered by one of our clients. In February of this year we
put a five-bedroomed detached house up for rental located in a plot secluded in a cul-de-sac and not visible from the road. We did not erect a To Let board. Our adverts, of course, showed a full range of photographs. The landlord is resident in the Far East.
One of the offices of a
company purporting to be one of the largest in the country contacted the owner by email offering their services. This worried our client greatly as he had recently suffered from identity fraud. How could anyone have acquired his email address when all that was public was a photograph? In the landlord’s mind the
fact that an agent would go to such lengths to discover an email address for someone who
had been living on the other side of the world for many years was a very worrying threat to his security. Why should I want to be
associated with this kind of behaviour?
The letting business is
completely different from sales. The style and practice of selling are not compatible with the long-term association at the heart of good property management. Managing agents have to be aware of a myriad of regulations and be aware that they are responsible for an ongoing situation rather than a one-off fee. I need to assure my clients that membership of ARLA is a benefit to them and not one that condones underhand behaviour and threatens their privacy. It seems that some of the sharp
practices prevalent in selling houses are creeping in to lettings; this is very worrying as renting becomes a more common form of housing tenure. How am I to convince my clients
that membership of the Association means security, safety and confidentiality when stealing information from other members in order to gain business is encouraged and my client’s own privacy may be under threat as a result ? I am aware of the adage ‘keep
your friends close but your enemies closer’ but is that a proper motto for building confidence with the public? I believe competition is healthy,
I welcome it and enjoy the benefits. In my view however, a professional association should stand for something that benefits the clients of its members and does not appear to threaten them. Yours sincerely
John Grimes MARLA Drummonds Lettings
PROPERTYdrum MAY 2011 61
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