CEBTA are not business marketing agents. We are business owners who were harassed or misled by agents into parting with thousands for doing, in our opinion, very little.

You can contact us using info@cebta.org.uk but please note that we no longer directly assist with advising on individual cases or helping take cases to court. The most we can do is recommend where you can get appropriate advice.

Please be aware that advice from a qualified lawyer will be circa £250 per hour and advice from a para legal with specific experience of agents / brokers will come in at £100 – £150 an hour. Please only email us if you are willing to pay those fees and please include a brief outline of what it is with which you need assistance or advice: info@cebta.org.uk

Please allow a few days for a reply.

Credits: Some of the information on this site has been provided by The Exit Firm.

THE INFORMATION BELOW IS HERE FOR ARCHIVE PURPOSES ONLY AND WE NO LONGER PROVIDE THE BELOW SERVICES

CEBTA consists of a team of Researchers who have investigated the Terms of Business of several ‘Commercial’ or ‘Business’ Transfer Agents; such as RTA, Ernest Wilson, Meridian, Knightsbridge and Hilton Smythe. Generally speaking, the written standard terms drawn up by such Commercial Estate Agents consist of a sole selling rights ‘agreement’ to which the customer, the proposed vendor, has not ‘agreed’ at all.  Instead the customer has listened to the word of the field sales agent. However, there is normally a ‘non reliance’ or ‘exclusion’ clause saying that you, the vendor cannot rely on the verbal Representations of the agent. Does that mean the field sales agent can say anything? In theory, yes; in practice though, such a clause may be judged a breach of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.

The ‘agreement’ itself has many onerous terms and only one clause which holds a promise (consideration) of what the Agent will do for you.  To form a contract, there must be consideration. Such consideration consists of a statement that the vendor ‘agrees’ to internet marketing on the Agent’s own site. Possibly another site too. Maybe advertising in a ‘catalogue’ – but where is it distributed? How big is the advert? How does any prospective purchaser see the whole advert? Answer – they have to Register their details as a potential buyer. Do the public want to do that? No.

So what do we do? We help you to Defend a Claim by these Agents that you have broken a Term. Why? Because it is easy to break any Term and be billed thousands of pounds. Sometimes we refer you to solicitors, but we also help you to have a comprehensive Defence, that covers all the points of law on which you can Defend. We also encourage you to attempt to settle the Claim against you, via mediation, in accordance with the Courts’ latest Civil Procedures.

If the Agent has not effected an actual sale but is attempting to charge Commission just for advertising or introducing a ‘buyer’, see the Appeal court case of Great Estates Group v Digby 2011 – use Google or Yahoo.

Do we charge? Some members of our Research team may charge a small fee for their research. We do not give legal advice as we are not qualified solicitors. Solicitors are welcome to contact us for detailed insight into the modus operandi of these Agents.