Ad watchdog steps in over disputed 'two bedroom' listing

The Advertising Standards Authority has stepped into a dispute over a property listing which claimed a property was a two bedroom apartment, when in fact one of the bedrooms was a basement which had not yet been converted.

The ASA says it received a complaint about the listing made by Hamiltons agency in Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, which described the property as a "two bedroom apartment".

The complainant challenged whether the ad was misleading because when they went to view the property they discovered the second bedroom was in fact a basement that had the potential to be converted, but as yet had no building control approval in place.

“We contacted the advertiser who agreed to amend the ad to refer to the property as having one bedroom - they explained the claim had appeared as a result of human error” according to a statement from the ASA.

In a separate judgement, the ASA informally resolved a complaint about a Help to Buy calculator which featured on a property listing on the Persimmon Homes website. 

The complainant challenged whether the calculator was misleading because the quoted price suggested a single buyer was able to benefit from both the Equity Loan Scheme and the Low Cost Housing Scheme elements of the Help To Buy initiative, which the complainant believed to be untrue. 

“We contacted the advertiser who added further clarification to the property listing to make clear the terms and conditions of the Help to Buy calculator and what schemes were available to buyer’s interested in this property” says the ASA.