Bogus For Sale Sign!!! Please Help!

MikeLondon_3

Hello everyone, I'm on here tonight as I feel I have to let you know what just happened to me, and to ask if there's anything I can do about it!

My girlfriend and I came home from work today to find a 'For Sale' sign stuck up outside our semi detached house on our side of the dividing fence. Both of us were immediately dumbstruck as we knew neither of us had put the house up for sale... After a couple of moments, I was hit with a moment of clarity. It must have been next door up for sale, and the estate agents had cheekily put the sign up on our door!

As you can expect we weren't too happy about it, so we went to knock on the neighbours door to ask if they knew... No answer. We then decided to check online at the 'advertised'* (i'll come back to this) website to see if it was on the market (and for how much ;-) ). We couldn't see ours or any house on our road on the site and I began to get suspicious. I rang the estate agents (who for the moment will remain nameless) and asked them if they knew what had happened. They obviously denied it, and said they had no properties for sale on the road. After looking solidly for a couple of minutes the branch manager said that he knew what had happened and they were advertising it after they valued it in September... LAST YEAR!

The manager apologised and said he would refer it to the correct department tomorrow and they would come out in the next couple of days to take it back. By this point I was sure it was just a 'clever' marketting ploy as our road is a fairly busy road and it was all advertising (see I said I'm come back to it) for them.

I asked if I could take it down and he said that I could. I went outside and found that the sign had been NAILED into MY fence with fairly large nails, and the fence was fairly weak when I tried to remove it. I decided not to do any more, until I knew where I stood legally.

Basically, I'm FURIOUS that some company have come onto MY property and NAILED a bogus sign to my fence claiming we're selling. The neighbours (the other side) have all ready come over to ask if everything is ok and that they were surprised we hadn't mentioned anything! I can't believe.

Can anyone help me with this, do I have a legal case if only for the damage to the fence. (We've already taken photos of the nails). I really don't want these people to get away with this...

Any advice greatly appreciated.

p.s. Sorry for the essay, just really needed to vent.

poppysarah

Ring the trading standards at the council and see if the EA is a member of any organisation.

Take some photos of it with a current paper as evidence and send it to the local paper - see if they'll do a story on dodgy estate agents

olly300

1. Make sure your pictures have the time and date on them.

2. Write a letter tomorrow and send it by fax and first class post stating that the bogus For Sale sign has damaged your fence and due to their previously advertising of your property when it wasn't on the market you will be taking further action. (At the end of both letters state the letter has been sent to them by fax and first class post.)

3. Get in touch with Trading Standards and report the company for putting up the sign. In your complaint describe clearly the length of the nails used and state you have photos. Also state how the estate agent marketed your property without permission. http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/ Put your post code in and then email them.

4. Contact the media i.e Watchdog, national and local media consumer champions to see if they are interested in your story.

It's not worth making a legal case out of it unless you are sure the EA won't go bust.

scottn

take some photos of the nails and any damage to the fence.
take the sign down, wrap it up and post it to the estate agent marked "recepient will pay postage" or just throw it in the bin.

and follow poppysarahs advice too

tr3mor

Go stick a sign on the EA's office saying "C0CK".

tomstickland

Phone them up as a mystery buyer and say that you're interested in the house.

MikeLondon_3

Thanks for all your replies. I'll get onto Trading Standards. I just literally can't believe they've done it.

Do you think I can www.moneyclaim.gov.uk them for the fence?

vikingaero

My parents live in a very nice house in a nice area. Their house is on the corner of the cul-de-sac next to the road. Every few weeks a different Estate Agent puts up a For Sale sign. They attach it to the road name sign which stands on a grass bank. Although it is public property on the grass bank the Council never cut it and my dad tends to it.

The cul-de-sac only has 12 houses and they are all long term residents and all very good friends - so no-one is selling up. The result of these signs is that numbskull Joe and Josephine Public keep ringing my parents doorbell for a viewing thinking the house is for sale.

Every 2 weeks I strim the grass bank and when I get to the sign my petrol strimmer accidentally cuts through the cable ties holding the For Sale sign up against the road sign. :rolleyes::D

We've made complaints to the Estate Agents who feign ignorance and I've told them that the next sign gets shoved through their window or up their jacksy. :A

maemaesmummy

MikeLondon wrote: »

Hello everyone, I'm on here tonight as I feel I have to let you know what just happened to me, and to ask if there's anything I can do about it!

My girlfriend and I came home from work today to find a 'For Sale' sign stuck up outside our semi detached house on our side of the dividing fence. Both of us were immediately dumbstruck as we knew neither of us had put the house up for sale... After a couple of moments, I was hit with a moment of clarity. It must have been next door up for sale, and the estate agents had cheekily put the sign up on our door!

As you can expect we weren't too happy about it, so we went to knock on the neighbours door to ask if they knew... No answer. We then decided to check online at the 'advertised'* (i'll come back to this) website to see if it was on the market (and for how much ;-) ). We couldn't see ours or any house on our road on the site and I began to get suspicious. I rang the estate agents (who for the moment will remain nameless) and asked them if they knew what had happened. They obviously denied it, and said they had no properties for sale on the road. After looking solidly for a couple of minutes the branch manager said that he knew what had happened and they were advertising it after they valued it in September... LAST YEAR!

The manager apologised and said he would refer it to the correct department tomorrow and they would come out in the next couple of days to take it back. By this point I was sure it was just a 'clever' marketting ploy as our road is a fairly busy road and it was all advertising (see I said I'm come back to it) for them.

I asked if I could take it down and he said that I could. I went outside and found that the sign had been NAILED into MY fence with fairly large nails, and the fence was fairly weak when I tried to remove it. I decided not to do any more, until I knew where I stood legally.

Basically, I'm FURIOUS that some company have come onto MY property and NAILED a bogus sign to my fence claiming we're selling. The neighbours (the other side) have all ready come over to ask if everything is ok and that they were surprised we hadn't mentioned anything! I can't believe.

Can anyone help me with this, do I have a legal case if only for the damage to the fence. (We've already taken photos of the nails). I really don't want these people to get away with this...

Any advice greatly appreciated.

p.s. Sorry for the essay, just really needed to vent.

Same happened to me on Friday last week, came downstairs at 9am ish to see a For Sale sign nailed into my fence. I phoned the ea who laughed.. no apology or anything. You arent in Blacknurn are you?

Sign removed within a couple of hours but have screw holes in my fence now.

Running_Horse

Amend the sign stating what you think of their company.

brit1234

Running_Horse wrote: »

Amend the sign stating what you think of their company.

I agree, add somthing like "Failing Agency" or "Bankrupt Agent"