Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the prevalence of estate agents who do not disclose commission payments received from the (a) mortgage advisors and (b) building societies they recommend.

It is unacceptable for estate agents to withhold referral fee information from customers before they decide whether to commission services from the agent's recommended supplier.

Agents who fail to disclose such fees may face sanctions and it is essential that any misconduct related to referral fee transparency is reported.

The government is committed to ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents. We will set out our full position on regulation of estate, letting and managing agents in due course.