Lesson 5 – Avoiding Aggressive, High-Pressure or Misleading Practices

Customers must be allowed to make properly informed decisions without intimidation, deception or improper pressure.

Examples of unacceptable practices

Employees must not:

1. Invent competing offers or applicants;
2. Falsely claim that a decision must be made immediately;
3. Repeatedly contact someone after being asked to stop;
4. Suggest an offer will not be submitted unless a related service is purchased;
5. Pressure an applicant to pay money before the relevant terms are explained;
6. Exploit a person’s age, illness, distress or lack of experience;
7. Use threatening or intimidating language;
8. Hide important charges or conditions;
9. Create false urgency;
10. Make unauthorised promises;
11. Misrepresent another party’s position; or
12. Suggest that a particular outcome is guaranteed.

Legitimate urgency

Not every urgent communication is improper. A deadline may genuinely exist, particularly where:

1. Several applications have been received;
2. A landlord or seller has set a reasonable deadline;
3. An offer is time-limited;
4. A tenancy commencement date is approaching; or
5. Documents are required for a genuine compliance deadline.

Where genuine urgency exists, employees should explain:

1. What the deadline is;
2. Who set it;
3. Why it applies; and
4. What may happen if it is missed.

Appropriate communication

Instead of saying:

“You must pay now or you will definitely lose the property.”

An appropriate statement may be:

“The landlord is considering more than one application and has asked to receive completed information by 4:00 pm tomorrow. I cannot guarantee the outcome, but I can explain what is required to complete your application.”