Lawyer to investigate significant misconduct by B.C. real estate agents

VANCOUVER – The Real Estate Council of B.C. has hired a lawyer to work with private investigators in cases of significant misconduct by agents.

The council already has five staff lawyers who investigate complaints by the public and real estate agents.

Spokeswoman Marilee Peters says the range of complaints could include mishandling of trust-account money and misrepresenting common property in a strata.

She says a professional-standards adviser was hired in January to handle inquiries from the public and agents and to deal with rules about agents' conduct.

Peters says the measures are the result of an internal review that began last year.

She says that since January, three temporary suspensions have also been issued, including one for seven days when an agent failed to act in the best interests of a buyer by not asking the seller whether renovation permits had been obtained.