THE Estate Agents Council of Zimbabwe (EACZ) will be intensifying its clampdown on unregistered estate agents operating in the country in an attempt to flush out unscrupulous dealers and arrest the rot in the sector, a development which has seen four offending firms being shut down. SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER
Several firms masquerading as registered estate agents are reportedly mushrooming in major cities and towns, including in Bulawayo where scores of desperate home-seekers have been taken to the cleaners by unscrupulous dealers.
EACZ in June revealed names of 10 unregistered estates agents. Information obtained by Southern Eye Business yesterday indicated that out of the 10 publicised illegal estate agents, four had been forced to close down.
A number have defiantly continued trading despite being named and shamed. But EACZ registrar Bennias Gweme told Southern Eye Business that his council had intensified its blitz on unregistered estate agents and the net was slowly, but surely closing in on defiant individuals and companies in the sector.
“Two companies have regularised their operations out of the 10 we previously publicised as operating illegal,” Gweme said. “Four have since closed down while the other four are still operating illegally. We have also established that there are some companies which we had missed out in our previous list which are operating illegally and so far we have managed to identify three.”
Gweme said the blitz against unregistered estate agents was meant to bring sanity into the business. On Monday EACZ would be publishing an advertisement in selected newspapers advising the public not to deal with illegal estate agents, he revealed.
“We are giving physical addresses and names of the companies which are not registered. We expect the police to take it from there and arrest offenders and as a council, we will be called as State witnesses in the matter,” he said.
In June, EACZ published names of estate agents which were either operating without licences or had not renewed their licences. EACZ has warned citizens against dealing with unregistered estate agents. Most of the offending companies are domiciled in Harare. Twitter feedback @silasnkala
