We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the Forum rules. While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Estate agents disclosing other offers

This is a question out of interest mainly, as I'm often intrigued by the way different estate agents operate. Are estate agents allowed to tell you how much another offer they have received is for (e.g. we have an offer for £205k)? I had always thought they were not allowed to do this (i.e. they can only tell you that there is an offer but not the exact amount). I have found online sources that support this (e.g. in articles in newspapers) but none linking to an actual law or code of conduct. 

Comments

  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Up to them (and their clients) whether they want to, but it's generally not in their interests to do so.
  • Comms69
    Comms69 Posts: 14,229 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    Eirene88 said:
    This is a question out of interest mainly, as I'm often intrigued by the way different estate agents operate. Are estate agents allowed to tell you how much another offer they have received is for (e.g. we have an offer for £205k)? I had always thought they were not allowed to do this (i.e. they can only tell you that there is an offer but not the exact amount). I have found online sources that support this (e.g. in articles in newspapers) but none linking to an actual law or code of conduct. 
    That's absolutely fine. They couldnt say we've had an offer of £205k from Mr John Smith, but the amount itself - of course. 
  • Comms69
    Comms69 Posts: 14,229 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    davidmcn said:
    Up to them (and their clients) whether they want to, but it's generally not in their interests to do so.
    Depends if the figure is true or not... :smile:
  • eddddy
    eddddy Posts: 18,212 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 14 April 2020 at 12:59PM

    The Property Ombudsman Code of Practice sets out some rules.

    Most, but not all, EAs are members of the Property Ombudsman Scheme. For members, the Code of Practice is mandatory:

    9g You must be fair and not misleading when disclosing the amount of any offers made to other buyers. Before disclosing the amount of an offer, you must advise the seller of such intention and get the seller’s agreement; and you must warn all buyers who make offers that it is your practice to do so. If you do disclose any offer to one buyer, then all offers must be immediately disclosed to all buyers with a current interest in negotiations for the property.


    Link: https://www.tpos.co.uk/images/Codes_2019_a5/TPOE27-8_Code_of_Practice_for_Residential_Estate_Agents_A5_-_Effective_1_June_2019.pdf


  • steampowered
    steampowered Posts: 6,176 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I thought it was pretty common practice, at least where your offer is less than what someone else has offered.

    Telling a prospective buyer that someone else has offered £x is a good way of encouraging that person to up their offer.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 352.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.6K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 454.3K Spending & Discounts
  • 245.3K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 601K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.5K Life & Family
  • 259.1K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.7K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.