Letter: Estate agents under control

Sir: The National Association of Estate Agents is mistaken when it calls for a 'general liability' for false or misleading descriptions, rather than specific prohibitions (report, 13 April). Under the Property Misdescriptions Act, which we promoted, the list of those aspects of properties covered - together with the power to add to that list if necessary - is an excellent, flexible mechanism for dealing with potential abuses by estate agents.

Deregulation would leave agents - and home-buyers - uncertain about just what information must be absolutely accurate, presenting undesirable scope for legal argument. The fact that there has only been a single prosecution so far, and few complaints about misleading property details, would seem to indicate that estate agents are working harder to ensure information is accurate. In other words, the Act is working]

Yours faithfully,

ELIZABETH HOBSON

Head of Representation

Consumers' Association

London, NW1