To be surprised this estate agent wasn’t sacked?

I would be livid if this happened to me . I certainly would be asking for a fee reduction. How many people saw that photo and downloaded it with your furniture etc in it so you could be identified.

Ask for your fee to be reduced. If you’re in the cooling off period get out of it.

You are absolutely right to be angry, that behaviour is not acceptable. However, you dont have the right to decide on a 3rd party's sanction. That is confidential and rightfully so.

What you could do is check your contract for a get out clause. You could use 'Loss of trust and confidence' as you feel you cannot trust the agent with your sale. Im pretty certain they would agree to you finding another agent given they wouldn't really want to poor publicity

I really don’t see the issue. The person who edited the photo has apparently been reprimanded, and I would very much doubt if the listing showing one photo which included a couple having sex on a TV, which presumably is only a small part of the picture, would have any impact on the number of people wanting to view the house. We’ve been looking for a new house for over six months now, and the standard of many photos used by estate agents is dire - they tend to stretch and distort pictures to make everywhere look bigger anyway. Quite honestly if I enlarged a photo in a listing enough to be able to make out what was on a TV screen and saw this, I would find it very funny.

edited to add that I wouldn’t expect anyone to be sacked or significantly reprimanded if the agents selling our house had done this.

It is just embarrassing how some some companies in England are so unprofessional.

Omg yeah. I guess they are all doing stupid stuff like that in their office so the boss can't sack someone when it could be exposed s/he was leading that 'culture'.

I agree with PPs that, if this was some idiotic teenager, it might be dismissed as 'just a bit of harmless fun' until the point at which they realise that it's lost them business, when OP cancels the contract with them and goes to a competitor... in which case it suddenly will become a much bigger deal to them.

When it comes to morals and respect, most people don't judge the acceptability of it neutrally or objectively; it only becomes 'unacceptable' once it starts to affects them negatively. Look at how many 'loveable rogue' nasty thugs who only start crying for the first time when the judge tells them they're going to prison, but never managed to find any cause whatsoever for upset when it was only their victims who were suffering.

Of course she can question it. They don’t have to answer though!

Im not explaining it again 🤣

You think someone is going to see a Facebook post - millions of perverts - and start sending come ons to the OPs door? What the actual?! 🤣

Of course it is, if the offence in question impacted her. She may not get the outcome she wants of a firing but she's allowed to voice her opinion and question their policies, it's not (yet) law in this country that one may never criticise a corporation 🙄

Yes, this - and the more you deny it, the more the dimwitted 'no smoke without fire' brigade will take that as clear 'proof' that you were watching porn when the photos were taken, and are embarrassed at being caught out.

Now it's on the internet - and associated with the exact address - that could have very serious ramifications indeed. There are millions of perverts out there, just waiting for what they might interpret as any kind of signal for a 'come on', who could get in touch through any of various media - maybe sending you some more 'literature' in the post that they think you might like to see, or even coming to the door to arrange an 'adult' meet-up. These sad people need very little encouraging if they think that somebody might be 'game'.

😂😂😂😂

I voted yabu not because I think his actions are ok and that he shouldn't have been sacked, but because expecting estate agents to behave with decency is just very odd! They have the reputation they do for a reason.

(If you are reading this and are a decent human being of an estate agent is then you know how rare you are.)

You do have the option of reporting them here: National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Teams - National Trading Standards.

I'm sorry that happened to you. x

Dreadfully unprofessional. I would certainly complain to the central organisation that is supposed to uphold standards amongst estate agents.

I would demand to be released from your contract. Check your contract wording first, and go elsewhere. No way would I be giving them a penny of my money.

I think years ago it was standard as I have had it but it was 25 years ago. It's advice before taking a case on. It's probably done by email now as quicker.

I would absolutely be looking for legal advice OP, it's appealing what they've done.

I would put money on there being a mix up and the image to their mates got mixed up.

Have worked in social media for years and stuff like this is THE FEAR.

Not that I’ve ever pornified a photo, but just the wrong post on the wrong account…stuff like that. The cold blood that runs through you is something to behold.

@Stressedout150 that is very likely. Though in the unlikely event that the police did take posting a pornographic photo seriously, the laughing would stop.

I would move to a different agent. That's disgusting behaviour. I also don't think there were any consquences for the employee, the only thing that will make them think next time is taking your business elsewhere

That's on a par with a customer ringing up then demanding to speak to the manager if they didn't get the reply they wanted, the usual call was 'who wants to play at being manager today/'!

OP's home was clearly identifiable if she was alerted by a friend. Would they have taken it down if OP hadn’t been told about it ? It’s so disrespectful. I’d have taken my business elsewhere to be honest. And my online review of the EA would be very clear as to why.

That's really messed up. I mean if they were that much of a dick then do that and show it to their mates in the office. But don't actually put it out on the live adverts for the house?!

It's horrible and obviously people will assume it's the owners of the house on the telly or that the people there are into porn. And allowed an agent to come in and photograph while they watched a dirty film?!

I'd be moving estate agents immediately and telling the original company that I would NOT be paying them any fees.

Id be asking for a free job

tell them your job is in safeguarding and has been compromised

I would tell them if they don’t think its sackable offence then you’ll charge an agent