Farrell Heyworth in Barrow has issued a warning that fraudsters are copying their property listings and putting them on Facebook Marketplace.
According to the estate agents, the cheats have been requesting deposits from the public to view the advertised properties.
A spokesman for Farrell Heyworth said: “It has come to our attention that there are fraudsters operating in the North West. These individuals are copying Farrell Heyworth property photographs from our website or social media and are using these to create property listings on Facebook Marketplace as well as requesting deposits to view.
“These Individuals do not have authority to let these properties, nor are they able to gain access to the properties.
“We would always recommend letting any property via a reputable lettings agent. If you are interested in letting a property marketed by Farrell Heyworth, please contact us directly. We do not currently advertise any of our lettings properties via Facebook Marketplace.”
Comments (8)
Absolutely we don’t want EA on FB still trying to charge commission on a free website.
I presume vendors are able to still advertise themselves on FB or other social media platforms even if a property is with an EA as sole agency!?
Not sure what sole agency conditions are like these days.
Would they prevent vendors additionally advertising on social media platforms!?
If so how would an EA know their client has arranged a sale via one of these social media platforms!?
Surely all a vendor does is withdraw the property for sale from the EA and then months downline the property is sold.
How would sole agency be enforced?
Got much time to monitor FB Marketplace or other Social Media Platforms!?
1. It’s called sole selling rights.
2. The old chestnut of buyer/renter being introduced by agents marketing and the vendor/landlord then pulling fast one is very costly for the culprit.
3. You do not pay for advertising with Estate Agents. Unless it is specific contract charge, agents commission is for “Service” and they can choose when and when they advertise.
4. Sole agency is pursued via the courts (when open).
5. Agency not using the social media platforms is at a disadvantage, customers expect it. It is how they use it that is key.
6. Sites like OneDome scrape agents advertising and put it up on FaceBook without the agent knowing. Other property web portals do the same. No business is going to say no thank you to additional and free marketing(as long as it doesn’t bite them).
I guess if an EA is naive enough then they won’t list across all platforms to ensure they achieve sole agency commission. If an EA doesn’t list on FB then a vendor selling as a private vendor will be hard to detect. I’m not even sure whether sole agency prevents a vendor advertising on a social media website. Such social media is equivalent to bumping into someone at a pub and chatting about their circumstances achieving a sale through social interaction. An EA would have to prove that a buyer had seen a listing of theirs on a website. Just can’t see any EA being able to claim commission for a sale achieved by social media be that chatting at a pub or on a social media site. If FB got their act together to provide a compelling offer EA would be wiped out. Currently the FB Market offer just doesn’t have the seamless approach of the major property portals. But I certainly wouldn’t underestimate future FB capability.
If the agent has sole selling rights it is so easy to monitor. Once its removed from the agents marketing, it doesn’t take much to check land registry for a sale. Some corporates actually have staff doing this every six months but more often than not the buyer tells the agent what is going on. It does not matter who introduced the buyer and the wider the agents exposure, the harder for a corrupt vendor to say the buyer didn’t see it from the agents marketing services..
Absolutely we don’t want EA on FB still trying to charge commission on a free website. I presume vendors are able to still advertise themselves on FB even if a property is with an EA. Not sure what sole agency conditions are like these days. Would they prevent vendors additionally advertising on social media platforms!? If so how would an EA know their client has arranged a sale via one of these social media platforms!? Surely all a vendor does is withdraw the property for sale from the EA and then months downline the property is sold. How would sole agency be enforced. Got much time to monitor FB Marketplace or other Social Media Platforms!?
This is why Facebook is an absolute none starter for us. It is absolutely not the right platform for putting people’s homes on, it is way too risky on multiple levels and not just what has happened here. A year or so ago we were considering it but when it was pitched to a couple of sellers they were horrified. I think what is happening is just the tip of the iceberg.
I see many agents promoting FB as part of their marketing but I don’t think they are considering the risks from the buyer seller or renter’s perspective as much as they should be. Also, I wonder how many who do send their listings to Facebook are getting permission from their sellers to do so?
Nothing wrong with FB listings.
Only a fool would pay for a viewing.
Anyone selling can for £3 provide proof of legal title along with vendor ID.
FB Marketplace cuts out commission led EA and effectively costs a vendor nothing.
EA aren’t the only way to buy and sell properties.
Property owners are perfectly capable of selling their own properties.
‘FB Marketplace cuts out commission led EA and effectively costs a vendor nothing.’
Thanks for alerting agents as to why they should stay well clear of FB & FBMP, trojan horses for the FSBO sector.