Archives for April 2014
Month: April 2014
You’re not the problem…but your clients might be!!
Picture this. You’ve worked hard for your client, you’ve done everything right. You’ve done your job well. However…..your client has run out of money and doesn’t want to pay your invoice. The client then creates a long list of grievances which appear to have come from nowhere! What do you do if this happens? If […]
Read moreWhat if……?
Was asked a question a few weeks ago by a consultant. A question I was recently asked: “What if I make a mistake and I get sued by a company?” “Are you a limited company?” I asked. “No” they responded. I then explained that, potentially, they have put their personal assets at risk. By not […]
Read moreDon’t be a twit..
Every now and again you’ll read a tweet written by a twit! How do you know? Well here are some signs: 1. They have got their facts wrong 2. They have disparaged a third party 3. They have not thought before they tweet Easily done. Social media is a very immediate medium and it is […]
Read moreDon’t be punished for an innocent mistake…
When buying your professional indemnity insurance you generally have to answer some questions. There is an expectation from you to disclose all ‘material facts’ to insurers. So what is a material fact? A material fact is a piece of information that would have changed your insurance quote had the insurer known about this fact. So […]
Read moreAgents beware…!
There is so much change in the landscape property agents operate within: economic, legislative and behavioural. The upturn in the economy, low interest rates, the help to buy and escalating house prices are fuelling the housing market. This same inflation in property prices is also leading more people to rent properties. These are some of the changes: […]
Read moreRetro what?
Professional indemnity policies will usually have this thing called a ‘retroactive date’. This is the most confusing part of professional indemnity. In a recent survey we found that over 60% of respondents did not understand what this meant. I think there could be 3 reasons why people are not understanding this: Their insurance provider is […]
Read moreSome info for @arla_uk and @naea_uk agents
Info for arla agents on complaints and their professional indemnity insurance. Here is a curious thing. ARLA and NAEA agents, in their desire to pacify customers, can sometimes go a little too far in admitting they are wrong or liable. It may make commercial sense to do this sometimes but it is important to consider […]
Read moreFriday Property Agent Fable continues…
We left our hero, Mr S, having started his business as a property agent and growing fast. All was going well until….. Trouble walks into his office. The problem with this trouble (like many) was that it was disguised as opportunity. In walks Mr Ishitzuup (Mr I). Mr I has a portfolio of properties he […]
Read moreSome useful advice on complaints…
At the Oxford ARLA conference the Property Ombudsman shared some useful thoughts on handling complaints. Some of them included the following: Keep the complainant informed Ensure the complaint handler is not the person who caused the complaint Keep good telephone notes Don’t admit liability even if payment is made If an offer is made then […]
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