The OFT has banned Wolfgang David Dunn, Sean Allen Wren and Astons GB Ltd, the Southampton estate agency they work for, from engaging in estate agency work.
An independent OFT adjudicator found that Dunn, Wren and Astons GB Ltd had breached the requirement on estate agents to belong to a redress scheme. They had also failed to pass on an offer from a potential purchaser and had intentionally failed to provide the OFT with information as required by the Estate Agents Act when it was conducting its investigation.
The action came after Dunn and Wren were served with a £1000 penalty charge by Southampton Trading Standards Services for not being a member of a redress scheme. After they continually failed to join a scheme, the matter was referred to the OFT.
From 1 October 2008, all residential estate agents are required to join one of the two redress schemes currently approved by the OFT, operated by The Property Ombudsman and the Surveyors Ombudsman Service.
Charles Wallace, the OFT’s head of estate agency enforcement, said: “These are serious breaches and a reminder to all estate agents that by failing to join a redress scheme