A London estate agent has been hit with a hefty fine after "distressed" residents discovered it was advertising their homes for rent without their knowledge.
The company, Down2Town Ltd, was marketing several flats in a block off Holloway Road, north London, on the property website Zoopla without the permission of the owners or tenants.
These so-called “ghost-listings” were designed to skew the search rankings on Zoopla so flat-hunters were more likely to come across the building when using the website.
The company hoped to boost its chances of finding a tenant for the one flat in the block that it was legitimately representing.
Read More
But it landed in hot water when a resident discovered their home was listed without their consent and complained to Islington council.
Ilshad Ali Sumum, director of Caledonian Road-based Down2Town Ltd, admitted two offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.
The company and its director were ordered to pay a total of £6,600 in fines and costs at Highbury Corner magistrates’ court.
Cllr Diarmaid Ward, Islington council’s executive member for housing and development, said: "Flats were falsely being advertised for sale, a practice sometimes also known as ghost-listing.
"This not only misled those looking for homes to rent, but also caused understandable distress among the residents who discovered their homes were being marketed without their knowledge or consent."