Rise In Real Estate Complaints

 Statistics revealed a rise in real estate complaints last year, with eight lodged with the Consumer Council of Fiji, compared to two in 2014 and four in 2013.

So far this year, two real estate complaints have been lodged with the council. The numbers exclude complaints against land developers.

Council CEO, Premila Kumar, noted these figures at a recent real estate workshop.

She said the nature of complaints were based on property sales, and covered the non disclosure of property prices when properties were advertised, the pressure used by agents to sell properties quickly, the advertisement of properties by unlicensed real estate agents and the ability of untrained salespersons to apply for a real estate license without financial back grounds and the necessary expertise.

Other issues she highlighted centred on the limited real estate knowledge of consumers. Consumer Council of Fiji CEO, Premila Kumar.

“The sale or purchase of homes is not a common experience, and many consumers relied almost entirely on real estate agents for advise,” she said.

“It’s hard for anyone who is not involved in the real estate industry to understand what goes on behind the scenes, and consumers are victimised if they are not careful. This costs them thousands of dollars and much heartache.”

She also noted that many consumers weren’t aware of how much they may have lost financially.