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REAA - The Update
  April 2014
DECISIONS
Misconduct
Unsatisfactory conduct
 
STATISTICS
Compliance
Licensing
 
Welcome to our April newsletter. We've been really busy with the large volume of license renewals during February and March (you can check out the latest licensing stats here). Now that this has largely been completed we are now focusing on the year ahead, and in particular reviewing and updating our processes for handling complaints.

There have been some significant changes to the way we handle complaints. After a successful trial which we updated you on in our last newsletter, we are moving to adopt facilitation, or early resolution of complaints, as our standard practice. What this means is that right from the outset we will be working with the complainant and the licensee to seek resolution to the matter, only progressing it through to a Complaints Assessment Committee if there are clear behavioural concerns about the licensee.

The two main themes of complaints continue to be disclosure and hidden defects. In June 2014 changes to the Fair Trading Act will come into effect which will mean there will be increased obligations on all licensees around unsubstantiated representations. If you are in doubt about what this will mean for you, more information can be found on our website.

It is also really important to advise potential purchasers to obtain quality pre-purchase inspection advice. This combined with the licensee disclosing all other matters that they are aware of, means that the purchaser is well informed and reduces the risk of a complaint being laid.

We would also like to remind you that you need to be aware of and comply with the provisions of the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 - basically you need to have a person's agreement before subscribing them to an email distribution list.

Talking of compliance, goodGround Real Estate have developed a series of cartoon strips about the Code of Conduct and have kindly made these available for everyone to take a look at.

Finally, don't forget that we are now on Twitter and LinkedIn. On Twitter follow @REAANZ and you can find us on LinkedIn by looking for REAA (under companies and in New Zealand) - or just click on the links to the above.

Kevin Lampen-Smith


Kevin Lampen-Smith

Kevin Lampen-Smith
Chief Executive/Registrar
 

Law change on vendor bids at auctions
Changes to the Fair Trading Act that come into effect in December 2013 have an impact on vendor bids at auctions that all licensees need to be aware of.
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The legal battleground - skills an agent is expected to display
The third in our series on the legal battlegrounds facing the Authority and the industry looks at the skills an agent is expected to display.
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The importance of supervision
The supervision of salespeople is an important aspect of the Real Estate Agents Act 2008 and all agents need to be aware of their responsibilities and what can happen if they are not met.
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Compliance reminder - taking care with advertising required name information
It is important that you provide the correct information about the class of licence you hold in all of your advertising.
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Unlicensed trading prosecutions - the story so far
An important part of the Authority's role in consumer protection is detecting and deterring unlicensed real estate agency work. Here we review our unlicensed trading prosecutions to date.
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Industry Advisory Group meetings - March 2014
In late March we meet with our Industry Advisory Groups to discuss what is happening across various areas of the industry including any areas of concern of interest.
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Please do not reply to this newsletter. If you wish to contact us please call us on 0800 for REAA (0800 367 7322) or 04 471 8930 or email us at [email protected]
reaa.govt.nz
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