A NEW law in Britain has made it a criminal offence for estate agents to make false or misleading statements about property or land they are offering for sale or lease.
The Property Misdescriptions Act, which came into effect on April 4, allows British home buyers to take legal action against estate agents whose brochures make misleading statements or contain misleading pictures.
Agents can also be taken to court about oral statements which are not accurate. In addition, they are obliged to point out aspects which they might not normally have mentioned.
A whole list of matters prescribed in the Act - ranging from the outlook and the environment to the existence and extent of any public or private right of way - will ensure that prospective tenants or buyers are fully briefed on all aspects of a property.
A nearby factory, railway, or motorway running at the foot of the garden, or the property's location lying underneath the flight path of the local airport - details previously ignored - must now be pointed out to the client.
The law will also mean an end to the use of regular estate agent phrases.