Federation of British Estates Agents in Spain

So…. recently looking up some estates agents who have all been boasting of being 100% legal, 100% reliable, etc. As proof of this they seem to be offering up a fancy looking logo of a business called “Federation of British Estate Agents in Spain”, which states that it is “the only professional body dedicated solely to British Estate Agents in Spain, the professional body intent on raising the standard of service in real estate practice offered to the General Public.” (http://www.fbeas.com/Join_the_federation.asp).

So, I did a quick check. It’s not a “Federation”, it’s an s.l. company in Malaga, called BRIRES S.L., which is a real estate company. Under Spanish law it can’t call itself a Federation unless it’s registered as such, which it doesn’t seem to be as the registration number doesn’t appear on the website (as required by law).

Further investigation in the members section reveals that it’s actual an MLS, where members can share properties throughout the network. Nothing wrong with that, but a proper Federation claiming to be an independent “code of conduct” guidence shouldn’t be selling the properties as well. Nor charging a monthly fee to do so.

These things get on my nerves. Don’t advertise yourself as a self appointed guardian of morality, then try to make a quick buck. It’s why your sector has a bad reputation.