Print Version
Read Out Loud
George Wimpey East Scotland Ltd pled guilty on 4 counts to offences under Property Misdescriptions Act 1991 and on 14 November 2008 were sentenced at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court. The charges related to 4 properties in Hollybrae Development, Kirkcaldy. The Sheriff imposed a fine of £1350 on each count totalling £5400 in fines. Trading Standards Officers from Fife Council Environmental Services reported the matter to the Procurator Fiscal as the result of a consumer complaint.
Trading Standards Team Leader John Geddes said, "The houses were misdescribed by an illustration given to customers as plans. While the plans showed that the customers gardens would not be overlooked by neighbours this turned out to be false. It seems that Wimpey were using out of date plans to sell the houses long after they were in a position to know that the plans would create this false impression.
"Houses which were illustrated as having an adjoining property gable end on ended up being directly overlooked by the adjoining property. Surveys suggested that the worst affected consumer could have lost 20-30k off the value of their property.
"At the time of sale, the adjoining development was in the process of being sold to another developer and it was reasonable for the developer to assume that the existing plans would change. To continue to describe the properties in the same way was reckless."
For more information contact
John Geddes, Team Leader (Fair Trading)Tel: 08451 55 55 55 + Ext 44 03 81 Contact John Geddes online
By Post: Fife Council, Kingdom House, Kingdom Avenue, Glenrothes, KY7 5LT
