From Love Rats to Rogue Buyers: Why the Right Agent is Your Best Defence
You might think that estate agents just sell houses. But there’s much more to it than that. When you’re selling your home, a good estate agent will look out for your interests every step of the way.
A recent story in the press reminded us just how important it is to have a real duty of care to our customers.
Estate agents in Cambridge smelt a rat when a lady approached them to sell her home, then told them she was moving to the USA to marry actor Jay Harrington of S.W.A.T. fame.
Worried the seller could lose everything if she transferred the sale proceeds abroad, they quickly alerted the police.
Thanks to the agents’ action, Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s cyber and fraud prevention officers stepped in and saved the day.
Sadly, while property fraud of this type and others is pretty rare, it’s not entirely unknown.
According to HM Land Registry, it prevented fraudulent activity against more than 300 homes worth over £194 million between 2020 and 2025 alone.
Trust a good estate agent to watch your back.
When you sell through an estate agent, they’re required to carry out ‘know your customer’ (or KYC) checks on buyers and sellers by law.
They verify names and addresses, identify beneficial owners, ascertain the source of funds, and check they aren’t subject to financial sanctions, amongst other things.
But a really good agent will always go above and beyond the call of duty.
We work with hundreds of sellers, buyers and potential buyers every year. We know our area and our local property market like the back of our hand.
If something doesn’t quite add up, if there’s a distinctly whiffy pong in the air, we’ll be right on the case.
And we will let you know promptly.
We need to stress that this kind of case is very rare indeed. Most sales run smoothly, without anything like this happening. But we think you’ll agree it’s better to be safe than sorry.
While all good estate agents should practice this kind of due diligence, it’s a responsibility that we, as members of the Ethical Agent Network, take very seriously indeed.
It is part of the professional home-selling service we provide.
And it’s just one of the many advantages of selling your home with a member of the Ethical Agent Network.
If you’re thinking of selling your home and would like a free valuation and market appraisal to help you decide, please give us a call.
Estate Agency Done Ethically
Many people don’t trust estate agents. We’re trying to fix that.
And that’s why we are proud to be a member of the Ethical Agent Network (EAN).
It’s an independent body that checks our work against strict standards for honesty, service, and how we look after our clients, colleagues, and community.
We’re the only agency locally that’s passed the EAN bar, and we’re assessed every six months to ensure our standards remain high.
So, if you’re thinking of selling, switching agents, or want straight answers to your questions, talk to us.
#AgentsYouCanTrust
