Jamaicans are being urged to verify the legitimacy of real estate professionals before entering into business agreements.
Acting Chief Operations Officer of the Real Estate Board (REB)/Commission of Strata Corporations (CSC), Cresfroid Brown, in making the call said that far too often, individuals contract practitioners who are unauthorised to execute jobs or collect deposits.
Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Brown said that engaging unauthorised dealers and salesmen and unregistered developers, will make obtaining redress difficult when something goes wrong.
“We have a Complaint Branch that can assist; however, the process will be longer than if the persons are licenced or registered. We do not have records of unlicensed and unregistered practitioners, and in many cases, we have to get the police and courts involved,” he pointed out.
For this reason, he is encouraging individuals to check with the REB/CSC before signing contracts or submitting payments for development projects.
“Just call us. Allow us also to protect you. Before you engage in any form of real estate business, ensure that the dealer is licensed, and if there is a salesman involved, ensure that the person is licensed to an actual dealer,” Brown added.
Persons can also conduct a member search on the REB and CSC websites at https://www.csc.gov.jm and https://www.csc.gov.jm, respectively.
The sites host records of dealers, salesmen and developers. Individuals can authenticate professionals by name as well as confirm the areas of practice in which they are licensed or registered to perform.
Developments, including schemes that are being undertaken by developers, can also be validated.
The REB is the government agency responsible for regulating Jamaica’s real estate industry.
