Clause 5Exceptions
Homes Bill
3:45 pm
Mr Nick Raynsford (Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions; Greenwich and Woolwich, Labour)
We are once again getting into complex and technical territory. It is important to deal with the complexities, which is precisely why we want further opportunity to reflect on them before making binding commitments. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary has already said that he would reflect further to check that the answer he gave was correct.
Our concern is that anyone marketing a property—which may not be the case in the hon. Gentleman's example—must be subject to the seller's pack procedure. Although parts of the industry may deplore it, under some agreements several agencies are involved in the same sale. In those circumstances, it would be absurd if only one agent had to produce a pack and the others could sell without it. Agents involved in the marketing of properties will therefore be subject to the provisions.
In certain circumstances, marketing of a property may not be relevant—an agent could be putting two people together and acting on behalf of a potential buyer—and the pack provisions might not apply. In common with my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary, I want to reflect further and I undertake to write to the hon. Gentleman about the matter.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 5 ordered to stand part of the Bill.