Goodbye to the sign “Flat for sale. goal ratio”

Traditionally, in the portals of buildings in the center of cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, ​​there were many signs saying “Housing for sale (or rent).

goal reason”.

The offer was even extended to premises and parking spaces.

The employees of noble estates thus became improvised “sellers” of the flats and premises that remained empty.

The owners of these houses placed their trust in them.

Fewer and fewer bright orange signs are posted on the gates of historic buildings.

The other portals, the digital ones, have displaced them.

Although this almost relic has not completely disappeared and, moreover, it is perfectly legal.

The current agreements of the Urban Estate Employees sector of the Community of Madrid and Catalonia contemplate as one of the obligations of the doormen and concierges to take care of the empty apartments and premises and accompany the people who wish to see them, providing them with any news concerning them. .

Marco C., a concierge in the Madrid neighborhood of Chamberí, confirms that "although it is a responsibility that we have in the agreement, there are fewer and fewer properties where we have to show the houses."

It is an obligation that sometimes produces tensions with real estate agents, but in others, alliances.

Love and hate between doormen of farms and real estate agents.

“They help agencies with information about the existence of flats for rent or sale.

And although by agreement they have to show the flats, this management is now testimonial”, highlights the real estate consultant Eduardo Molet.

The mere presence of a doorman in a building continues to be a claim for the sale or rental of homes in cities like Madrid.

“It can even increase the value of a flat”, defends Molet.

Doormen and concierges provide valuable information, as they sometimes recommend whether or not it is appropriate to rent a property to a potential tenant.

“Recently, a client came to rent a flat from my agency and the doorman told me that he was a professional rent arrears.

Every six months he changed houses and left without paying”, says the owner of the agency Eduardo Molet.

“Real estate agencies should not see doormen as unfair competition, rather the opposite.

They are a great ally to successfully sell or rent a home”, insists the consultant.

“In so many years of experience I have seen that companies or professionals in the sector often justify poor results based on external factors,

For example, the doormen steal potential clients or because of their fault some operations have not been closed.

If so, it is somewhat anecdotal because I have never seen any doorman who acts as if he were a real estate agent, ”he argues.

So far the compliments.

the eternal debate

For Ángel Martínez León, member of the General Council of the Official Colleges of Real Estate Agents, “when the gatekeepers of the estates show the houses for rent or for sale, a disservice is done to the protection and rights of consumers” .

It is the eternal debate of a regulation of the real estate sector that has not just arrived.

Before the year 2000, real estate brokerage was regulated and there was an activity reserved for licensed real estate agents (API).

“Today anyone can exercise.

To sell lettuce you have to have a handler's card, but to sell a home there is not even an obligation to know how to read or write,” complains Martínez.

According to this group, by analogy,

Property concierges show flats, but they can provide information on the price and their characteristics.

For this reason, Martínez believes, “his work can have very important consequences from a contractual point of view, since he risks not giving the correct information, not taking into account that there are charges on the home or construction defects…”.

This is the reason why the Council of Real Estate Agents (API) demand a regulation of the profession, "since it is important to have training and have civil liability insurance."

They also criticize that the housing law does not stop at the legal guarantee.

It does not include any reference, profile identification or necessary requirements for those professionals who want to work as real estate agents.

"The clarification and specification of concepts are fundamental elements to create the ideal conditions and ensure growth and the incorporation of a regulation of real estate agents, essential if we want a transparent market and with the maximum guarantees for consumers and users", says Montserrat Junyent , legal advisor to the General Council of COAPI in Spain and COAPI in Barcelona.

Currently, the only autonomous community that has a compulsory registration of real estate agents is Catalonia.

In Madrid it also exists, but it is voluntary.

The situation is very different in both cities.

While the Barcelona regulation makes it almost unfeasible for the doorman to go beyond simply showing the house, in the Spanish capital it is easier for the employee of the urban estate to intervene in a sale operation, experts point out.

Also the real estate

, in its work of advising and accompanying the potential buyer, has among its collaborators the concierges and porters of urban properties.

Enric Jiménez, CEO of Property Buyers, which operates, among other cities, in Barcelona, ​​assures that the doormen “have privileged information about the neighborhood and the buildings;

They know even before anyone else when a house is going to be empty to put it on the market for rent or sale.

In addition, the link that the doorman has with the owner is absolutely trustworthy, which is why he leaves him the keys to show the house”.

These agents only represent the buyer.

“In this sense”, explains Jiménez, “while those real estate agencies that collaborate with the doormen can reward them with part of the commission paid by the buyer, the

never gives a tip to the employee of urban properties, although we do have a detail with him”.

Update of the agreement in Madrid

The employees of urban estates in Madrid have a concern, which has lasted 20 years, and which is none other than updating their agreement.

"Our salary is well below the Minimum Interprofessional Salary, around 680 euros, not including supplements", commented in the Association of Employees of Urban Farms of Madrid (EFUCAM), in order to find a prompt solution.