KUALA LUMPUR: Property advertisement portals should do stringent checks to verify the legitimacy or identity of property agents, the Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents has urged.
Its president Tan Kian Aun said property portals have an obligation to ensure those opening accounts and listing properties are registered real estate agents.
“We don’t want any Tom, Dick and Harry advertising there. If anyone can simply advertise properties on these sites, the public will be at risk of being cheated by dubious quarters.
“Each licensed agent will also have a unique identification number. No two accounts on a site should be able to have the same digits,” he said when contacted.
Tan said among the red flags in dubious deals was renters being asked to transfer rent deposits to personal bank accounts.
“The account number should only be that of a company or agency. Every real estate company has a trust account to hold money on behalf of the customer.
“If the ‘agent’ requests you transfer to a personal account, it’s an instant red flag,” he said.
Yesterday, the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department warned of scammers impersonating real estate negotiators to dupe unsuspecting renters.
The department’s legal adviser James Ee said the situation warranted property sites to improve their procedures concerning new real estate agents.
“The property platform should implement an additional verification process for agents registering on the website. This is an area that they can look into for improvement,” he said.
Federal Territory MCA Public Service and Complaint Bureau chief Kok Weng Fhai advised the public to verify that they are using legitimate agents before making any deals.
He said this can be done by checking the Board of Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Managers website at lppeh.gov.my.
“Here you can verify the agents’ identification numbers and registered contact numbers,” he said.
