PORTALS Digital Property Group rebrands


May 2011 marks the launch of the new Digital Property Group (DPG) brand and a focus on


what matters most to its member agents and new homes clients. This re-launch is part of a comprehensive rebrand of PrimeLocation.com and FindaProperty.com and is to be marked by significant new consumer campaigns. Marketing Director Sheraz Dar


says, “We’ve come to the end of the process to launch our new B2B brand; the Digital Property Group. It’s a commitment to excel in what matters most to advertisers, underlined by fresh investment in our consumer brands”. DPG’s launch includes a new


website and social media marketing sites, refreshed POS literature for agents and a new concept for print and digital campaign surrounding DPG’s success in delivering enquiries, visitor reach, service and innovation. “We’re keen to cut through the noise and really focus on what agents want. Our customers want reassurance that portals are doing their upmost to help their businesses increase revenue and prosper which is what we’re focusing on. “Agents also want to promote their properties within well


established brands which remain front of mind with home searchers. “Over the next month, we


expect a sizeable proportion of UK home searchers to interact with one or all of our brands. FindaProperty.com is expected to reach a significant proportion of home searchers throughout this campaign,” says Sheraz. “PrimeLocation.com and


FindaProperty.com are set to embark on new consumer marketing campaigns. FindaProperty.com will continue its TV, radio, print and online marketing across May with a high profile launch in the pipeline. PrimeLocation.com joins FindaProperty.com on TV for the first time in three years as it unveils a new creative concept across TV, print, outdoor and online. “We’re committed to investing


a significant amount in marketing in 2011 which is a significant statement of intent. I encourage our advertisers to make the most of a marketing campaign that will strongly resonate with vendors and landlords by ordering our updated literature.” From May, agents can order


marketing material by going to www.tdpg.com/literature and order mugs, key rings and pens through to instruction-winning vendor and landlord leaflets.


DEVELOPMENT Greenlight for green tower block


Silvertree, a landmark 24-storey ‘green’ apartment tower located


in London’s Royal Docks, has been granted planning approval. The £80m development will commence construction in summer 2011, and will be completed in late 2012. Knight Frank has been


appointed as sales agent for the eye-catching eco tower which will include 161 high quality, state-of-the-art one, two and three bedroom apartments, as well as retail, office and commercial units, and a café. The tower, on the waterfront overlooking the Royal Victoria Docks, is just half a mile from the Olympic Stadium and will be the most significant new residential


REPORTS


Property Ombudsman backs Which? advice “Agents need to make sure the


The advice in the recent Which? report on estate agents was broadly endorsed by The


Ombudsman, Christopher Hamer. “All consumers should be aware


of the terms and conditions, particularly the fees to be paid, when they engage an estate agent to sell their property, I do not make rules about how agents should set their commission fees and they are free to use either a set fee for their service or a stated percentage of the selling price.


fee method chosen is made plain in their contract terms and that there are no small print clauses that could give rise to confusion. Where consumers have brought complaints to me about confusing or unexplained terms and conditions which I then agree to be so, I have made an award in consumers’ favour.” There is an important difference


between agents signed up under the terms of the Consumers, Estate Agents, and Redress Act (CEARA) and those who have voluntarily signed up for TPO membership


that makes them subject to the terms of the TPO Sales Code of Conduct. “The Code of Conduct is a rigorous set of conditions that have been approved by the Office of Fair Trading under its Consumer Codes Approval Scheme and goes far beyond the minimum standards for redress registration brought about by CEARA. Full sales members of TPO are subject to random monitoring via consumer surveys which flag up potential problems. I also meet regularly with agents to discuss industry issues and the dialogue, combined with adherence to the Code of


Practice, leads to higher standards. “In my recent 2010 annual


report, I indicated that the average amount paid to settle complaints had roughly halved for each case in which I made an award since 2007, an indication, I believe, that standards are improving.” At present, TPO has 8,095 member firms. Of these, only firms operating a total of 330 branches are registered for the minimum requirements of CEARA while 11,073 branches are registered with firms who are voluntarily subject to the TPO Sales Code of Practice.


PROPERTYdrum MAY 2011 7


development yet in the London Borough of Newham. Prices start from £250,000. Richard Hywel Evans of


Studio RHE, the award-winning architect who has designed Silvertree, said, “The tower is a super cool, post-crunch design that raises the benchmark for living and eco friendly architecture in Docklands. Silvertree’s solar PV panels, use of ground source and biomass to generate heat combined with high levels of thermal insulation mean not only will it feel comfortable to live in but it will also cost residents very little to run. It takes contemporary apartment living in London to new heights.”


‘The tower is a super-cool post crunch design!’


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