Time to stand together.

Amidst all the controversy surrounding the persons involved with the regulator, there seems to be a wider feeling that if only the Real Estate Profession could bury its narrow interests it should be able to regulate, educate, act for labour, and promote our industry. This is also the view of Tony Clarke, Managing Director of Rawson Properties. He believes that “We need to get all the stakeholders to unite eg, IEASA, SAPOA , NPF, SSETA etc. He states that and all should be represented in such an endeavour. He also feels that the majority representation should be industry operators.

He says: “Its time we get our act together, set up a professional body and apply for self regulation for our industry. If attorneys can do it, why would we not be able (to do so)?”

It is hoped that the newly formed REBOSA (Real Estate Business Owners of SA) and the restructured IEASA will play a leading role in such an effort.

The saga continues.

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Ironic

It is ironic that this article appeared in the Star next to a LEAD SA article - "be the South Africa you want to be..." This is not the type of organisation that we wnat to be associated with the profession. Is it not time that some of the functions so inadequately managed by the EAAB be given back to the profession to manage? Surely there will be less of these unsavoury actions to contend with. Let the EAAB deal with customer complaints and the profession will do what it needs to do to deliver high quality estate agency and broking services witout being tarnished by the board's shenanigans.

Who watches the Watchdog

Caught out once again - The EAAB just cannot get it right! This article appeared in the Sunday Times of 28/08/11.

Perhaps the officers should also write Proffessional Certification Exams, get NQF 4 certificates, be RPL'ed, be forced to pay for indemnity certificates, be subjected to anonymous whistleblowing systems and the like.

We just need less of these structures that have power over money they did not earn.

Bolani said: : "...the information about our activities has always been in the public domain" that's not the point - the point is using public money to benefit oneself! Doesn't he get it? Since when is he trying to be a motor car service technician?

Click on the photo to enlarge. (+)

EAAB - agge nee!

don’t have MNet?



http://beta.mnet.co.za/carteblanche/Article.aspx?ID=4340

Chaos at EAAB - What's new?

They are going to do inspections internally - why? They should just manage their contracts better - if they cannot do that, why would using internal staff be any better?

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=139639

The EAAB declares an official dispute.

The Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAB) wishes to advise that it has formally declared an intergovernmental dispute with the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SSETA) in terms of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act of 2005.



The dispute between the two organs of state arises from various activities engaged in by the SSETA from time to time with reference to the estate agency profession and the training of estate agents which, not only exceeds the legislative mandate of the SSETA but, also, undermines the standing and authority of the EAAB in the exercise of its powers and functions as the statutory regulator and professional body for estate agents.



The EAAB can only conclude that the SSETA seeks unlawfully to intrude on its autonomy, infringe both the rule of law and the principle of cooperative governance, exercise purported powers in an unlawful and unauthorised manner, engage in illegal self-help and, generally, act in a manner unbecoming an organ of state.



The parties to the dispute are now be required to convene a meeting to determine the nature of the dispute, to identify mechanisms or procedures to assist in the settling of the dispute and to agree on such mechanisms and procedures for this purpose and to designate a person to act as facilitator in settling the dispute.



The EAAB will make every endeavour possible to resolve the dispute with the SSETA in compliance with the constitutional obligations to do so imposed on organs of state and for the benefit of the estate agency profession and allied stakeholders.



Issued by: The Estate Agency Affairs Board



Contact: Ms. Portia Mofikoe

Portia.Mofikoe@eaab.org.za



Date: 2 November 2009

The EAAB Roadshow programme to explain the new qualifications for Real Estate Agents

Click to enlarge.

THE ROADSHOW DATES THAT HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN PUBLISHED HERE HAVE NOT BEEN CONFIRMED - I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED!!!

Email Email me here for
more info. and for a free Adobe copy of the new regulations.

Watch this space for EAAB roadshows on the new FETC: Real Estate Qualification

The Estate Agency Affairs Board is embarking on a couintry wide series of roadshows to explain the implications of the newly gazetted regulations. I'll be listing the dates and contact details here soon.

Self regulation?

The business Business Times website carried the article: RE/Max calls for industry overhaul

According to an article by Don Robertson in the SOWETAN on 22 April 2008 RE/Max, has called for the deregulation of the Estate Agency Affairs Board and for the industry to be allowed to regulate itself.

It claims the body is incompetent, fails to return telephone calls, often fails to issue fidelity certificates or does not issue them in time. Estate agents need a fidelity fund certificate to be able to claim commission on the sale of a property. Has this been your experience? Comment below.

About 80000 estate agents were registered with the board last year. It is reported that Jeanne van Jaarsveldt, marketing and financial director of RE/Max, believes that with residential property price growth slowing, the number of agents will drop to about 35000 in time.
What are your views on this?

Van Jaarsveldt also said the consumer and industry interests would be better served if the board was deregulated and the industry could regulate itself.
Have you any views?

Eskel Jawitz, chairman of Jawitz Properties, whose son Herschel was recently appointed vice-chairman of the board, is reported to have said he doubted the board would be deregulated as there is nothing else to replace it. He also admitted, though, that the board was not functioning as it should, but the estate profession should be proactive and try and effect change from within. He also said the call to “unbundle” the board was focussing only on the negatives, but ignoring all the positives that have come about since the board came into operation such as the Code of Conduct and educational standards.

It is also reported that Ken Ralph, vice-president of the Institute of Estate Agents said the matter was “delicate and difficult”.

Who's to blame?

The Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAB) has denied accusations from the Institute of Estate Agents of South Africa that the board is incompetent. The issue is that estate agents are operating without certificates and they reckon that the board has failed to issue them.

It is law that agents must have a fidelity fund certificate to be able to practice legally. CEO of the EAAB, Nomonde Mapetla, said (according to an article on the SABC website) that the fault lies squarely at the door of the estate agents. “It is their duty in terms of the law to ensure that they get these certificates...that they make the necessary submissions even at the end of their financial year to ensure that they don't get blocked...those that are blocked have not submitted their audited trust accounts. Last year we did inspections for the first time in 30 years and were able to discover this and therefore started blocking people...”

The SABC site also mentions that the President of the Institute of Estate Agents of South Africa, Willie Marais, said the board was inefficient.

My focus is on the new Qualification requirements - Let us all work in a way that will ensure that we do not have a similar crisis when the deadline arrives!

Take action now and avoid the inevitable crunch that I predict will happen - thousands of agents not having the fidelity certificates because of ... Who will be to blame?!

8. Managing Agents are not excluded.

In terms of the act a person who collects rent or receives levies must also register as an Estate Agent with the EAAB (Estate Agency Affairs Board) and have a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate. This means, according to my interpretation, that they too have to meet the requirement of having completed the Further Education and Training Certificate: Real Estate by December 2011. Though the qualification is largely aimed at residential Real Estate practitioners, the evidence that manging agents need to produce to demonstrate their competency can be slanted towards the work that they perform.

Another interesting point must be noted when a member of the public wants to claim from the fideliy fund:
A. [i] A person must suffer pecuniary loss (loss of money)
[ii] The loss must be as a result of theft.
[iii] The monies stolen must be trust monies.
[iv] The theft must be committed by an estate agent.

Now here is the interesting point - the EAAB website says: "It does not matter whether or not the agent was registered with the Board or had been issued with a fidelity fund certificate. All that is required is that the claimant prove that the person he dealt with acted as an estate agent. [The definition of an estate agent is contained in the Act]."

Talk to me if you wish to obtain the qualification - there are many routes to get there. Add a cellphone number to the cellphone directory here.
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