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Sequence has promised to make future property ads clearer after a complaint about the way service charges were listed.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) informally resolved a complaint with Sequence about the advert for a two-bedroom property.
Misleading
The ASA says: “We received a complaint about an online ad, on a website, for a 2 bedroom property.
“The complainant challenged whether the claim, “Annual service charge: £534” was misleading as they understood that the correct amount was likely to be over £5000.
“We approached the advertiser who confirmed that the ad had been amended to remove the incorrect figure. On that basis we considered the matter resolved and closed the case.”
Restrictions
Sequence, trading as William H Brown/Barnard Marcus, also found itself the subject of attention from the ASA in January, after a complaint about an ad.
An unnamed person said that an online Sequence ad for the auction of two parcels of land failed to make it clear they were in the Green Belt.
A potential buyer might be unaware that Article 4 restrictions on permitted development applied, when making a bid, the ASA said.
And Sequence agreed to ensure future ads made it clear what restrictions were in place.
The ASA can reach an informal resolution of a complaint about an advert with a company, or move to a formal investigation and ruling if this fails.
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