The government has announced plans to exempt businesses that host private property sales advertisements (without getting involved in the sales process) from the provisions of the Estate Agents Act 1979. The move is part of the government's Red Tape Challenge and is intended to ensure that such businesses do not incur disproportionate costs as a result of being subject to regulation aimed at traditional estate agents.
The government will also repeal the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991, which requires estate agents to check the accuracy of advertised property details. They say that this legislation has been superseded by the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008.
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