Scotland’s Tenant Farming Commissioner (TFC), Bob McIntosh, has today published a Guide to the Professional Conduct of Agents and How to Make a Complaint. The guide is part of the recommendations made by the TFC to Scottish ministers, following a review of the conduct of agents of agricultural landlords and tenants.

While the review found that landlords and tenants were generally satisfied by the conduct of agents, 17% of both landlords and tenants were dissatisfied – which was generally linked to behaviour rather than any lack of technical or legal knowledge on the part of the agent.

“Most agents perform their duties in a professional manner, but the actions of a small minority can have a disproportionate effect on the reputation of the agent, their employers, or their profession,” explains Bob McIntosh. “It is important that landlords and tenants complain about the unacceptable conduct of agents, so that standards can be raised and poor behaviour addressed.”

The Scottish Tenant Farmers Association (STFA) welcomes the recent publication.

“While the majority of agents operate in a positive manner, with regard for the interests of both their client and other parties, which leads to healthy relationships between landlord and tenant; there is a small but significant minority which sometimes fails to adhere to the relevant standards expected of professionals,” said STFA chair Christopher Nicholson. “The key areas of dissatisfaction with agents are generally poor communication, lack of transparency in negotiations, insensitive behaviour and a lack of consideration of the impact their conduct has on long-term relationships between landlord and tenant.”