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OnTheMarket shows its muscle over ‘one other portal’ rule
The ‘one other portal’ rule is being actively policed by OnTheMarket, which has confirmed that one firm has been identified as breaching the rule.
Chief executive Ian Springett said the firm was Statons, which has six offices in Hertfordshire and north London.
He told Eye: “We have hidden our member Statons at present as they have not complied with one other portal – as opposed to many trying to get themselves off Zoopla having given notice of termination in good time.
“We have a good relationship with the firm and will be meeting with them shortly to discuss the position.”
It is understood that OTM, whose national advertising campaign kicked off yesterday with a large display advert in the Sunday Times and which also appears in today’s Telegraph, may have been alerted to the situation regarding Statons via a tweet.
Meanwhile, the media battle continued with signs of strong briefings to journalists. Columnist Alexandra Goss in yesterday’s Home supplement in the Sunday Times told readers that “it’s worth a shot” for sellers to try and negotiate a discount on an OTM agent’s fees.
The column quotes Paula Higgins of the Home Owners Alliance, who said that a search for a flat in Forest Hill, London, revealed 24 listings on OTM, 95 on Rightmove and 127 on Zoopla. Higgins said: “Which portal would you use to look for a place to live in Forest Hill? Exactly.”
Goss herself concludes: “Times are tough enough for buyers and sellers without the added worry that – in this digital age, when we rely on smartphones for everything from ordering a takeaway to buying shares – homes for sale and rent aren’t getting the exposure they need.”
http://www.propertyindustryeye.com/agent-said-complied-one-portal-rule-properties-hidden/
