Estate Agent on tinder during viewing

[Blomama]

Our house is on the market. Not overly impressed with the estate agent company so far, poor communication, promising the earth etc.
Today the estate agent let the viewers in, he opened the sliding doors and let them into the garden while they went outside alone. He didn't unlock any outdoor spaces, just left them to look through the windows of the garden room and garage. When they came back in he let them roam on the 1st and 2nd floor alone for quite a while. While they were outside and upstairs he was sat in our kitchen swiping left and right on scantily clad girls on Tinder. We have ring cameras around the house and he was positioned in such a way that you can see his phone screen clearly. He didn't give them a single piece of information about our house or the area during the entire viewing.
Here's the question: Do I tell the agency that he allowed an unaccompanied viewing and what he was doing during the viewing?

Yes that’s so unprofessional! Maybe wait to see if they offer first though…

I would . That s dreadful behaviour.

I dunno, as a viewer I much prefer when an estate agent just lets me look at my own pace without following me around or hanging about meaning me feel I can’t talk to me DH freely.
Did the viewers ask for any information? Did the estate agent have any information in addition to the online advert?
Very weird that you sat and watched footage of him on your table. Did he know you were recording him inside your home?
Did the viewers??

They won't be offering...Upon returning downstairs he asks them what they think, they say it's lovely but a bit smaller than the photos. Estate agent replies "Yes, you definitely need a bigger house if you're having more kids."

Ring cameras are very common in many houses. Yes, we have a sticker in the front window saying we have cameras but no, I don't make them sign a form saying they are aware of cameras. They are aimed at entrance and exit points in the ground floor only.

If the clients were at the part of the viewing where they walk around alone, it's not the end of the world the EA was scrolling his phone.

I mean what else should he have been doing? It's not great that you were looking back and observing what was on his phone. Surely he's allowed to use his phone briefly if he client isn't in the room?

If he was booking an appointment for a cancer screening would that be ok? Or talking to his mum about her care arrangements?

I just think if it's not affecting his work then actual things he looks at on his phone are personal. I mean it wasn't porn?

If he's inefficient generally then fair enough of course to change.

They are common externally, I don’t think people working in homes or viewing properties expect the rooms inside to be under surveillance or for someone to sit and rewatch the day. It can’t really have been pointed at the door if you could clearly see the screen of his phone while sat at the table.

Thanks for your point of view. So you think it's okay for the agent to allow unaccompanied viewings? Would you not be annoyed at him letting a stranger wander around your house, possibly look through private details in your study, open up jewellery boxes?

I don't know what to tell you, the camera is in the corner of the room, it's aimed at the sliding doors. He happened to sit in a chair with his back to the camera was holding his phone so the entire screen is visible. I can make out girls in bras/bikini tops in suggestive positions, while he taps and flicks over them.

Yes, leaving people to look around on their own is completely normal. If you don't want that, you need to be very clear with the estate agents about it, and to understand that it will piss a lot of potential buyers off.

I would 100 percent tell them. You are going to have to pay them thousands if they sell it, which if they leave it to this bloke, they won’t.

He shouldn’t be on his phone at all. He’s working, it’s a twenty minute appointment. Fucking hell this would really piss me off. He couldn’t give a shit. He should be bigging the house up, he shouldn’t be leaving people to wander round.

Yeah I would a million percent complain.

@atoo thanks, that's not my understanding. I thought estate agents needed to be responsible and ensure things aren't damaged/stolen during a viewing. I also want the estate agent pointing out the bespoke fitted wardrobes, new smart heating system, underfloor heating etc...things that you can't necessarily 'see' without someone pointing them out.

All those lucky lucky women getting to date an estate agent 🤣🤣🤣

yes complain 100% and get a different one if you can

@moveoverdarlin it's really interesting how wildly different the responses are. So morally, yo think it's fine for me to tell the agency and use the ring footage as the reason?

Wish the laughing emoji was still here 🤣

was he wearing those really long pointed yet square toed lace up tan leather shoes and tight fitting trousers

Your NDN/post deliverer could have done a better job.
I’d be shouting from the rooftops about him. He should be sacked.

I would expect an estate agent to sell the house by extolling its features, yes. But then also to leave the potential buyers to look around on their own.

Surely when you've viewed houses you've wanted to wander round and discuss the house with your OH without the estate agent hovering around?

You should definitely complain if only to haggle their fee down. If it sells they’re about to charge you a percentage for “selling” it but what exactly did he do? You would’ve done a better job yourself. When we’ve had house viewings we’ve been accompanied and the chat ranges from features of the house to the local area, schools etc. I’d say it’s more the norm to have the EA show you round once and then offer for you to have a look around solo and return with any questions.

We’ve viewed a couple of houses where the accompanying EA has known fuck all about the house they’re showing, can’t answer any questions and I’ve wondered whether the vendors know what a terrible job they’re doing!

I'd want EA to walk them through the house describing/selling things, then leave them alone to do their own walk through and discuss things privately in their own time. Then meet back with EA for their feedback.

I wouldn't assume the potential buyer would steal or snoop my possessions.

But I guess everyone's expectations are different.

It's a big agency, we can often have 4/5 viewings on a Saturday and each agent is different/new to the house. We have given the agency lots of detailed information about the house but the agents can't seem to answer basic questions about if there's a dishwasher or not 🤣

This kind of slack, lazy bullshit from agents really grinds my fucking gears. They talk the talk about ‘market blah blah blah’ and ‘sales blah blah blah’ and ‘economy blah blah blah’ but in reality 99% of them stick it on Rightmove, don’t bother to do any homework about the property, and leave prospective buyers to show themselves round, safe in the knowledge they’ll be banking thousands for doing fuck all if the sale goes through, and it’s no skin off their nose if it doesn’t.

They’re your agents, OP. They are literally being paid to act on your behalf. They are benefitting financially from the sale of your biggest asset, and should be doing some bloody work to justify the substantial amount they’ll earn from nothing more than sticking some photos on a national website.

They should be selling your house. And whilst it’s perfectly fine for buyers to wander round for a bit on their own after an accompanied viewing (at which point it’s kind of irrelevant what he’s doing on his phone), it’s not ok for your representative to not even bother showing areas of the property. You’re in control of the relationship. In your shoes I’d be giving them an absolute fucking rocket, and if they can’t do any better, you should look for another agent.

The fact you know he’s been slack via a security camera is neither here nor there IMO - you’ve not been spying on him in his own home, you’ve been monitoring visitors to your own home and by coincidence caught him on the hop. Tough shit. Do your job better.

Yes definitely. You are their client, their bill will run in to the thousands even for a bog standard house. I would pretty much word for word say what you have told us. He did nothing, and was on Tinder of all things. Not opening out buildings is also pretty shit. Every time I have sold a house the agent got there 10 minutes before a viewing, put the lights on, opened the garage, opened a workshop we had. I know this because I was spying from a neighbours across the road (Ring doorbells are just the modern equivalent). There is a lot riding on house sales for most people, it’s a tense time financially and Estate Agents take a fair size chunk. This man is just not giving you any kind of service. When I viewed the house I’m living in now, the agent opened all the bifold doors before we got there, he showed us how they worked, he opened the loft, showed us in the garage, demonstrated how the alarm system worked.

Definitely say the bit about the fitted wardrobes, underfloor heating etc. These things cost thousands to install and that needs really pushing to potential buyers.

I’d be fuming. You could have done better than this perv. Jesus can he not go 20 mins without checking bloody Tinder? I’d be inclined to go in the branch and speak to the manager. Ask how the viewing went and what the feedback was from the agent who did the viewing. Then go from there.

This is why I would rather the owner showed me round. You get all the information you need and an authentic feel for the place.

ETA that we moved last year. Saw dozens of houses. Hardly ever was the EA able to answer our questions. One turned up to our Saturday morning viewing looking like he had just crawled out of bed, clearly hungover and just waited outside for us!

Yeah totally not okay, I'd phone the branch manager and tell them basically what you've said here, and say I don't want this agent showing people round again. Send someone else or release me from the contract. I'd be more pissed off about not opening up all the outside spaces than the tinder scrolling tbh , although that's still grim.

We viewed a house once where the EA left us alone to take a personal call, we knew that because he came back and told us about it! It put me right off the house because a proactive EA with a brain can honestly transform or rescue your whole purchase/sale if they work hard. It is not a time where you can or should accept a fuckwit.