It is a standing joke that estate agents in the UK have something of a poor reputation and are amongst the most disliked in terms of profession. However, a recent report has shown that people really do seem to be taking objection to estate agents, with the level of complaints made against this group having soared.

Figures have been released recently by the Property Ombudsman, which have shown just how much the level of complaints against estate agents has soared in the UK. The previous high when it came to estate agent complaints was reached in 2008 when the UK was still in the throes of the financial crisis and recession. However, the level of complaints has now topped this by a massive 28 percent.

According to the Property Ombudsman, Christopher Hamer, the level of complaints has now reached its highest since records began twenty years ago. The number of complaints is said to be 40 percent higher than predictions for the year. He also expressed concern that the rising level of complaints have come despite the lower transaction numbers in the property market, which would means that people are having less to do with estate agents that they have in the past.

Hamer said that complaints were ‘unacceptably high’ with the figure for last year coming in at 1338. Many of these complaints related to lack of communication between the estate agent and the consumers, with others relating to marketing and advertising or the way in which complaints had been handled. The highest number of complaints were made against estate agents in the South East according to the figures.

Hamer said: “People are less ready to be satisfied in times of economic stress to accept less than perfect service, especially when they are spending a lot of money.”