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Real estate company The Joneses has been cleared of breaching the Real Estate Institute's code of ethics by criticising the industry.
An institute disciplinary committee heard evidence earlier this month after a member complained that The Joneses had brought the industry into disrepute through a statement to the media.
The company was quoted last year as saying: "People are paying too much to sell a house and getting an indifferent service for it."
Real Estate Institute national president Murray Cleland said today the disciplinary committee had found there was no case for The Joneses to answer.
"So that's the end of the matter," he told NZPA.
Commenting on the time it took for the committee to hear the case and make a decision, Mr Cleland said the institute had to put any complaint "regardless of how serious they are or how small it is" through "due process".
"The public can have confidence in the fact the institute does carry out due process," he said.
The institute dealt with "about eight cases a year" involving complaints from members about fellow members, and had referred 149 complaints last year to the Real Estate Agents Licensing Board.
"That's a great safeguard for the public in general," Mr Cleland said.
Former Consumer Institute boss David Russell was currently reviewing the institute's code of ethics, which would be out in draft form soon, he said.
The Joneses director Chris Taylor welcomed the decision as "a victory for common sense".
"All we've ever done is merely reflected consumer opinion out there and essentially the institute has agreed with us," Mr Taylor told NZPA.
He doubted the year-long wait from the time of the original complaint to the disciplinary committee's determination was good for the industry.
"I'm not so sure it's a good thing for the consumer who believes he's been wronged and out of pocket," Mr Taylor said.
"These things don't necessarily need to take that long to come to a head."
Mr Taylor said his company had been "overwhelmed" by the level of support it received since the issue "blew up in the media".
"The emails and phone calls have really blown us away, to be honest."
- NZPA
