Marketing, Advertising, and Data Protection
Advertising Rules
All property advertising must be accurate, not misleading, and must display the broker's licence/registration details and a valid permit reference where required. Listings must have the seller/landlord's authority and reflect the actual property (price, area, ownership type, availability). Prohibited practices: advertising without a valid listing permit, bait-and-switch listings, unregistered projects, or prices the owner has not approved.
Data Protection
Brokers process personal data (names, contacts, IDs, financials). Key principles: lawful basis, purpose limitation, minimisation, accuracy, storage limits, confidentiality, and security. Obtain consent where required, share data only with parties who need it (e.g., bank, developer), and honour access/correction requests. Do not use client data for unrelated marketing without consent.
Traps
Questions often show a broker reusing a competitor's photos or listing without authority - copyright and authority breaches. Another trap: sharing a client's ID and financials with other buyers or in a group chat, or using a client list for a new employer after leaving. Watch for "teaser" pricing that differs from the authorised price.
Worked Example
A broker leaves firm A and takes the client database to firm B. This is a data protection and confidentiality breach unless clients consented; the lawful route is to contact former clients only through permitted channels with their consent.