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AIPP lays down the law - 23 May 2008

When the Association of International Property Professionals (AIPP) was launched in a fanfare of publicity, there were plenty of people in the industry, and no doubt among the public, who saw it as an exercise in corporate PR for the industry, and that the promises of transparency would come to nothing.

On the contrary, according to recent figures from the AIPP. They have detailed the totals of complaints, hearings and fines levied against members according to the code of conduct of the Association. While the AIPP exists as a professional body to work with its membership to improve their standing in the industry, many of the main pillars of the code of conduct revolve around the fair treatment and completion of due diligence in order to make the buying process as honest and as transparent as possible for the public.

The figures show that to date, the AIPP has received 85 complaints from the public against its members. Inevitably, some of these complaints can and have been resolved through dialogue between the member company and the complainant – 12 such cases have been resolved amicably and without the need for penalty payments or fines to be levied. 13 of the cases have been resolved with the help of the AIPP, and payments have been made by members to complainants. This has totalled some £76,000 being paid out to complainants in settlements mediated by the AIPP.

Further to these settlements, 14 cases have been taken to the AIPP’s own disciplinary panel, with six fines being issued for a total of £57,500 against members, and two members being expelled altogether from the association for breach of the conditions of the code of conduct. All fines collected by the AIPP are donated to the chosen charity of the Association.

According to the AIPP, around half of the complaints are dropped once the Association asks for full details of the complaint – either the issue falls outside of the jurisdiction of the AIPP, or the complainant decides not to proceed with the issue.

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