We engage a specialist compliance firm to monitor changes in legislation and ensure our network remains compliant. In addition we retain the services of a specialist law firm in Scotland who provide complementary legal oversight. All our offices undertake mandatory ongoing training, which is regularly updated to reflect both legal and operational best practice.

Dual Fees & Previous Agent Agreements

If you have previously engaged another agent on a sole-agency or sole-selling basis, you must consider that arrangement carefully: failure to do so could result in liability to pay two commissions. We recommend you provide us with a copy of any existing agent agreement so we can advise accordingly. If no agreement is provided, we may be unable to determine whether you might be in breach of it. In any doubt, you should contact your previous agent for clarification.

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs)

Under the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012, an EPC is legally required whenever a property is sold or let. EPCs may only be issued by accredited Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs). An EPC assigns an energy-efficiency rating (A to G) and remains valid for 10 years. It provides information on the property’s expected energy usage, costs, and environmental impact in terms of CO₂ emissions.

It is the responsibility of the relevant person to ensure a valid EPC is in place when the property is marketed:

• For a building being sold: the seller
• For a building being rented out: the prospective landlord
• For a building under construction: the party carrying out the work

Should an EPC have expired, a new one must be commissioned before marketing commences.

Since 1 April 2020, landlords may not let (or continue to let) domestic properties covered by the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard Regulations (MEES) if the EPC rating is below E, unless a valid exemption is in place.

Properties Under Construction

For properties that are being sold before completion, under the 2012 Regulations a Predicted Energy Assessment (PEA) is required. The PEA forecasts the building’s SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure) norm and CO₂ rating at the design stage and must be carried out by an accredited On-Construction Domestic Energy Assessor (OCDEA). Once the build is complete, the relevant person must instruct a full EPC to confirm that the finished building meets the predicted assessment and enables completion sign-off.

Non-Discrimination Policy

We will not discriminate against any person on grounds of age, gender reassignment, being married or in a civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, disability, race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

In addition to these protected characteristics, we do not discriminate on the basis of being a parent or single parent, nor on the basis of claiming benefits. We recognise that each tenant’s circumstances are unique and believe in assessing applications on an individual basis based on their ability to sustain a tenancy.

Money Laundering Compliance

If you choose to use our services, your appointed agent will be required to carry out due-diligence checks in line with the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. The information collected will be processed solely by the agent and their staff for the purposes of compliance and may be shared with your conveyancer.

For sellers: identity and residency status will be verified when signing the Agency Agreement, before the agent can market the property for sale.
For buyers: identity and residency status will be checked upon offer acceptance, before the production of a Memorandum of Sale.

The Fifth Money Laundering Directive (5MLD)

Since 10 January 2020, letting agents have been brought into the scope of the regulations. Under the Fifth Money Laundering Directive, tenancy agreements with rent exceeding €10,000 per calendar month must be evaluated for potential use in money-laundering. This requires “Know Your Customer” checks on landlords and tenants (identity, residency verification, and confirmation the tenancy is genuine) and may involve ongoing monitoring of the business relationship. If you fall into this category, you should expect additional documentation and administrative requirements.

Using Electronic Verification Services

Some branches utilise electronic verification services to confirm identity and complete AML checks. This is not a credit check and will not impact your credit history. For example, the service may verify your details with a credit-reference agency (such as Experian) to confirm identity and residency. A record of the check will typically be retained for five years to comply with regulatory requirements.

Referral Fee Transparency

We may recommend third-party service providers to our customers (e.g., maintenance, insurance, legal services). If you use a provider recommended by us, we may receive a referral fee. To understand the amount, please ask your branch directly.

You are under no obligation to use any recommended provider.

The referral fee enables us to invest in our network to deliver competitive pricing, improved productivity and greater transparency. All staff and selected partner suppliers work to ensure you consistently receive the service and results you expect.

Markup & Additional Fees

The list of third-party service / referral-fee disclosures or landlord price lists published on our branch pages is not exhaustive. If we arrange a service with a contractor or third party supplier on your behalf, we may apply a markup ranging from 1 % to 50 % on top of the contractor’s price; full details are available on request before you proceed.

Additionally, we may purchase certain products or services in bulk and on-sell them at a small margin. This does not affect the price should you choose to deal directly with the supplier yourself.

Membership & Regulatory Status

We are registered with the The Property Ombudsman scheme for estate agents (TPO). TPO provides a free, fair and independent service to resolve any unresolved disputes between customers and their agent and is one of the leading regulatory bodies in the sector.