help! estate agent issues

[sungirltan]

ok so we advertised our apartment with one estate agent (king sturge) for 14 weeks with a few viewings but no offers. i gave them the required 10 days notice and signed up with agent 2 (stags). this morning king struge rang me and offered a viewing for tomorrow which i have said yes to. the girl i spoke to is aware my contract with them has finished and that i have signed with stags. she said it was my choice about what to do.

if the viewers tomorrow make an offer how doesi t work legally with the estate agents??

tia

You will probably end up having to pay both agents.

By taking the viewing you are effectively entering in to a further contract so would likely be subject to the same commission as before.

You would have to pay the fee to the agent who introduce that particular buyer. You wouldn't be liable to pay Stags as well, if the buyer has been introduced by King Struge, irrespective of the contract period.

Agents often do viewings before the contract is even signed, so the issue is not the conttract, but who introduced the buyer

ah i see dusty :-)

thanks everyone!

Check your contracts with each agent. If you contract has ended with King Sturge then you are unlikely to be liable for a fee to them. However, you may find that you're liable for a fee to the other agent, even if they haven't introduced the buyer.

TBH it'd be safer to decline the viewing and let them find your house with the other agent.

thanks in all. in the end the legal advice seems to be that if the viewer is 'introduced to the property' by the 1st agent within their contract (ie mailing details), which apparently they had, then the 1st agent is allowed to get the fee.