More than half of agents disagree that mobile phone signal should be treated as material information in listings.
James Munro, head of the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) outlined last week what could be included in Part B and C of new upfront material information rules.
Speaking to conveyancers at the Bold Legal Group conference and a day later to agents at the Propertymark national conference, he explained that mobile listings should be treated as material information under part B and C changes to be introduced next year.
Munro even showed a mockup of how a sample listing could look, displaying the signal strength across different networks.
But a reader poll by Estate Agent Today suggests not everyone would be happy with such a change.
A poll on the Estate Agent Today LinkedIn page asked: Should mobile signal be included as part of material information on property listings?
Of 214 respondents, 56% said no and 44% said yes.
That is hardly a resounding no and comments on the post suggest such information could be useful even as just a guide.
Explaining his reasoning last week, Munro said: “Is broadband speed or mobile signal material information?
“I went to look at a lovely property but my wife and I couldn’t get signal on our phones and there was none on my work phone.
“That sounds idyllic but is a serious issue.
“We would say we cannot live there as we can’t do anything about it.”
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There are all sorts of ways to get a good mobile signal in the countryside these days, such as signing up to Air Band. Of course that will not show up on the standard info available on general signal strength snd broadband speeds so to actually include the info James wants could well be misleading and prejudice a sale.
An agent is required to establish information for the vendor which requires resources and time. A good EA will do this but may charge more, a poor EA won't bother - after all look at sale details - some are terrible yet people still instruct these agents.
And there is no doubt that the vendor does not see the EA as a "professional" so will always squeeze on price. After all PB has told the public that all other agents are a rip off and instigated a race to the bottom.
I'm not sure the answer but it's not difficult for a potential purchaser to google broadband speed for a postcode to get an indication of what is available. And to look up mobile signals - But signals vary on provider and on phone!
If you are looking to buy a house then surely there is some responsibility on yourself to investigate the area that you are buying in! Or is everything someone else fault?
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