Court: Barry Plant Manningham cleared of underquoting Ivanhoe home
A prominent Melbourne real estate agency that had been accused of underquoting has been cleared of any wrongdoing, a court has heard.
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A Melbourne real estate agency accused of underquoting a townhouse in Melbourne’s northeast has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Barry Plant Manningham fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on October 23 after it had been charged with failing to provide a reasonable estimated selling price on a townhouse in Ivanhoe.
The agency, which operates under the name Manningham Sales Pty Ltd, was charged by Consumer Affairs Victoria’s Underquoting Taskforce in March this year after consumers complained.
Consumer Affairs Victoria had previously alleged that Barry Plant failed to provide a reasonable estimated selling price on two separate occasions.
The alleged offending was said to be breaching the Estate Agents Act of 1980.
The charges alleged that the agency claimed it could not find comparable properties that had been sold in the Ivanhoe area.
The townhouse sold at auction for about 40 per cent above the highest end of the price range.
Consumer Affairs Victoria’s director Nicole Rich said the taskforce, established in 2022, was continuing its targeted activities in 2024, in pursuit of agents who engaged in underquoting.
Ms Rich said her agency would continue to take enforcement action where necessary to stamp out the practice and create a fair market for residential property buyers and sellers.
“We’re committed to ensuring that buyers have the accurate pricing information they need while househunting,’’ Ms Rich said.
The prosecution withdrew all charges against Barry Plant Manningham.
No applications for costs were made by the defence.
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