An estate agent is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to fraud.
He had tried to cheat a pensioner by buying her home cheaply in his wife’s name, with the aim of selling it on quickly for at least a £10,000 profit.
Stephen Jones, of Conwy Estate Agents in Wales, had put forward an offer of £15,000 but failed to pass on a higher offer, of £25,000.
The 89-year old home owner had moved into a nursing home, with the fees due to be recovered on the sale of her flat.
The local authority, which had put a charge on the flat, became aware it might be sold for £15,000.
The prosecution, at Llandudno magistrates court, said it then emerged that Jones was selling the property to his wife, before a back-to-back sale of at first £25,000 and then £27,000.
The matter was then brought to the attention of police by the council, which was concerned that Jones had abused his position of trust as an estate agent.
The local paper reports that Jones became an estate agent “without any qualifications”.
His business is now closed down and sentencing is due next month at Caernarfon Crown Court.
More here
Comments (7)
What A *******, I Hope They Charge His Wife As Well.
Qualifications make a man honest?
well said.
incidentally, you dont need qualifications to be an MP, Builder, car salesman, or any number of jobs where you are in a position of trust. morals maketh the man. Not letters after their name.
Chri Wood agreed is there a petition to make all agents licenced with qualifications before they can work?
Out of interest what qualifications would you insist upon?
I will give you a prime example.
I am a qualified mortgage broker, i have full cemap (by the way this is not an easy exam to pass, all three papers). But i have absolutely no idea how to sell, package or get a mortgage through.
Nowhere in the qualification of becoming a mortgage broker do they take you through how to actually apply and process a mortgage.
As Property Paddy and agent orange point out qualifications mean squat.
Broken Law 1 – personal interest
Broken Law 2 – all offers in writing until exchange
“The local paper reports that Jones became an estate agent “without any qualifications”.”
Like all can and so many do