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I would like to know how to report or manage an agent that deliberately avoided buyers’ agents so that he doesn’t have to co-broke? We are interested in a unit at Cherryhill but the agent was not responding when our agent made query but responded when we contacted him directly as buyers. Very unprofessional and unethical.
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8 Answers

Landon Chew
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Hi, so sorry to hear about this, perhaps you can find another unit to look at or if you really want to report this, to seek the help of his agency or CEA.

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Geryl Lim
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If you willing to pay your agent for this purchase, I believe the agent will likely be open to cobroke. I am unsure the reason why the agent is not open to cobroke, but if you look into the CEA prescribed estate agency agreement, the owner may allow the agent not to cobroke too.

I am of the opinion that the purchase process should be a happy process, thus if you need to go through unpleasant experience in the process of purchasing this unit, I always feel that you should just avoid this unit altogether since it already started off with bad vibes.

Whether you want to deal with an errant agent, you will decide to see if you have the time and energy to go through the complain process.

Wishing you well in the home purchase! Read More
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  • Geryl Lim
    Replied
    First of all, cobroking does not mean sharing of commission, HDB transactions also open for buyer and seller to cobroke, but buyers will usually pay the commission to their appointed agent and seller will pay to their own appointed agent.

    I am unsure which part is misleading from 1st and 2nd post perhaps there was a lack of explanation, and I have never indicated that it is alright for seller agent not to respond to buyer's agent and have no intentions to guide you to think that it is alright.

    As a buyer's agent, I have experienced this too for many times. To quote you a very specific example that happened just about 3 years back, where my buyer had to make direct enquiry to the agent in order to secure a viewing slot immediately but I was told by the seller's agent there isn't any slot available within the next 1 week or so. As a result, I encouraged my buyer to go ahead with the viewing and purchase without my involvement, as I do not wish to be the reason why the buyers miss out this purchase.

    You are right that if agent is professional and ethical, there should be no conflict of interest, but the situation on hand involves likely tens of thousands of dollars in some transaction and as long as the sum of money is significant, there will always be a grey line.

    The key is, if it is regulated that buyers will have to pay their own agents for purchase, but no need to do so if they go direct to the listing agents since the sellers will pay listing agents, will you still go ahead to appoint a buyer's agent.

    I am not expecting any answers, but yes, every industry has their own black sheep, and it is because of these practises, it puts almost the entire industry in bad light to the consumers.
  • J
    Replied
    In response to your 2nd reply, I think it is misleading that you stated “If you willing to pay your agent for this purchase, I believe the agent will likely be open to cobroke” in your 1st reply.

    My understanding of co broke is “ Co-broking is a term used to label when people have to split commissions between brokers via a co-broker agreement”.

    Co broke involves sharing of commission. Your 1st and 2nd replies contradict each others and was misleading.

    You seems to think that it’s alright for seller’s agent not to respond to buyer’s agent. Not needing to share commission doesn’t mean the seller’s agent can ignore buyer’s agent enquiries; else how would the the whole transaction be proceeded? Is seller’s agent expecting buyer to do all the enquiries, coordination and arrangements without his/her agents? Then on what basis should the buyers pay the agents commission, when latter cannot get involved in the transaction?

    Issue on conflict of interest only arises when one engages unprofessional and unethical individuals as agents. There are definitely black sheep in every industry, that’s why words of mouth and trust are important. Period.
  • Geryl Lim
    Replied
    Buyer's agent if being paid by the buyer, will not be allowed to receive the commission shared by seller agent thus they will not be collecting from both sides, therefore under such arrangement, seller agent need not share the commission paid by the seller, which can potentially explain why the seller agent does not respond to your agent cobroke enquiry and respond to yours.

    I have come across agents who works on high comms when they serve their buyers, and can be indicating that they will push their buyer for higher price in order to get higher commission sharing cut, thus under such cases, is that a conflict of interest to the buyer?

    Anyway, the most important thing as I have always share is that purchasing a property should be a happy process, thus if you encounter any negative vibes, by all means, try to avoid them.
  • J
    Replied
    Can you please elaborate, how has paying buyer’s agent motivated the seller’s agent to co broke? If buyer’s agent is already being paid by the buyer, why would there be co broking with the seller’s agent? Meaning buyer’s agent get two commissions separately? Would appreciate if you could explain so that all of us can learn? Looking forward to your reply.
Steven Tay
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Steven Tay
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Aaron Chong
Replied
Hi,

I would be most glad to assist you further and pls feel free to let me know if you need any assistance. Have a good day ahead. By the way, yes you could lodge a formal complaint with the CEA directly.

Regards
Aaron Chong
 9730 8455 
aaronchong2774@yahoo.com.sg Read More
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Able S.K Toh
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GATHER EVIDENCE >> REPORT IT CONCURRENTLY TO BOTH
(1) AGENCY AND (2) CEA ,...
To report an agent for malpractice to their agency and the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) in Singapore, you can follow these steps:

### Reporting to the Agency
1. **Contact the Agency**: Reach out to the agency where the agent is employed. You can usually find their contact information on the agency's website.
2. **Provide Details**: Clearly describe the issue, including the agent's name, the property involved, and specific instances of malpractice.// ENTER AGENT PHONE NUMBER IN CEA PUBLIC REGISTER OR GO PROPERTY GURU TO GET THE AGENT LICENSE NUMBER , STARTING WITH " R" ,.. ( ACTUALLY YOUR BUYER AGENT CAN GUIDE YOU ) // TO SAVE TIME >> YR REPORT TO AGENCY AND CEA TO TELL STORY >> JUST COPY AND PASTE " SAME WRITE UP" IN YR MICROSOFT WORD TEMPLATE //
3. **Submit Evidence**: Attach any relevant documents, such as emails, messages, or contracts, that support your complaint.
4. **Follow Up**: Request a confirmation of receipt and follow up if you do not receive a response within a reasonable time.

### Reporting to the CEA
1. **Gather Information**: Prepare all necessary details, including your full name, address, contact number, and copies of relevant documents (e.g., Estate Agency Agreement, Option to Purchase, Sale and Purchase Agreement).
2. **Log In to CEA's E-Service**: Use your SingPass to log in to CEA's e-service portal [here](https://www.cea.gov.sg/consumers/complaints/report-a-salesperson-estate-agent).
3. **Complete the Complaint Form**: Fill out the complaint form with specific details about the agent and the malpractice. Be sure to include the agent's name, business address, and contact numbers.
4. **Submit the Complaint**: Once the form is completed, submit it through the portal. CEA may inform the agent of the complaint details and the complainant's name, so if you wish to remain anonymous, indicate this in your submission.

For further assistance, you can call CEA's customer service hotline at 1800 643 2555
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Steven Tay
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Hi Jessica,
You are right!! You can WhatsApp me and I will share with you in details. Mobile 94517639  Read More
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Steven Tay
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