Reference no: EM133937994

Task 1: Consumer Protection Law - Case Studies for Review

1. Laura Scahill was excited to view a property in her sought-after neighbourhood but when she arrived at the viewing, the first thing she noticed was the driveway access to a large school adjacent to the property. Considering there was no mention of the school in either the text or photos on the Agency's website. Laura expressed her disappointment to the salesperson for wasting her time. After realising the photos had been photoshopped to remove the school signage and buildings, Laura followed up with a formal complaint.

2. Mrs Abernathy is an elderly customer purchasing an apartment in a unit title complex. She has limited savings and told the salesperson that she relies mostly on her retirement pension to support her living costs. During negotiations she was encouraged to increase her offer with the salesperson explaining that she would benefit from not having any ongoing maintenance costs to attend to. She was not advised about the Body Corporate Fees. Not long after moving in, Mrs Abernathy was invoiced for her first month's body corporate fees. She was shocked and concerned as she had not considered these costs in her ongoing budget. Show less

For each scenario, you will be required to answer each of the following questions:

1. What, if anything, has been done wrong by the salesperson?

2. What legislation (if any) has been breached? (Identify the section as required). If appropriate, how could a customer claim a remedy? Note, more than one Act may apply in some situations.

3. Has the Real Estate Agents Act (Professional Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2012 (the Code) been breached? If so, state the rule(s) that apply.

4. What organisations would deal with such an issue, and why?