Estate agents come under OFT scrutiny

Estate agency services and credit markets are among the areas identified for examination by the Office for Fair Trading in the next couple of years.

Healthcare markets, interaction between government and markets, and mass-marketed scams will also be looked at by the regulator in the next year as it bids to improve the lot of consumers.

The areas are highlighted in the OFT’s annual plan, which looks forward over three years from April 2005.

OFT chairman Sir John Vickers said: “Our core activities over the next year will continue to be enforcing the law to encourage vigorous and open competition as well as to stamp out unfair trading practices, and we remain committed to educating businesses and consumers about their rights and responsibilities.”