When you are given false information upon purchasing a home, condominium, or renting an apartment, and later discover that whatever promise was granted to you was never fulfilled, this may be grounds for a lawsuit. Most of the time, these unfulfilled promise issues can be filed as deceptive practices lawsuits.
The Federal Trade Commission expressly states that it is legal for a company to practice deceptive marketing, advertising, or use deceptive means to entice buyers. If FTC investigators discover that a marketing representation violates the law, then they have the right to issue a cease-and-desist order on behalf of the company, and the right to levy fines. As well, the FTC can order restitution and require that an organization to release corrective marketing information.
Deceptive practices are very prevalent in the area of real estate, where agents, landlords, or other property salespeople will claim untruthful things about a piece of property in order to facilitate a sale. For example, if renters choose an apartment complex because they are told that the building is going to receive a pool and a beautiful patio addition, and later these plans are cancelled, the apartment renters may be able to sue the managers for failing to make due on their promise. Also, if a homeowner says that a house is in excellent condition and then the new homeowners discover many serious problems, this could be considered a deceptive practice.
In addition, if a real estate agent claims that a construction worker is coming to repair a roof after purchasing, but this never happens, this could be considered a degree of deceptive practice. There are many forms of deceptive practice lawsuits, so if you think you have a claim you are going to want to talk it over with a professional real estate attorney before you take any drastic action. With a real estate attorney on your side, you will have the information necessary to form a legitimate claim if it is possible in your situation.
Recently, timeshare owners litigated against Celebration World Resort's Timeshare because the resort developers claimed that timeshare upgrades would help give owners more points and allow them to apply for more timeshare reservations or get the reservations that they wanted at more premium times. When the timeshare resort chanced ownership, the new company claimed that the reservation point system chanced and that the upgrades that had been purchased couldn't be honored any longer. This would be a violation of advertising and means that the owners were sold a useless product.
It can also be considered deceptive practices if a construction or repair company works on your home or property and claims that they will get a job done in a certain amount of time. If they go over that time period, or never finish the job that was started despite their claims that they would be able to do so, this might also be considered deceptive practices. There are so many different types of deceptive practice offenses in real estate, so if you believe that you have been wronged you certainly need a real estate attorney to come and assist you.
Whether you were lied to by a real estate agent, an owner of a home, an apartment manager, a contractor, a construction worker, a repair service, or another party, you need to seek compensation if you believe that anything you were told wasn't true. Another sort of deceptive practices lawsuit is one that claims that a piece of property will be excellent for gardening or growing crops. If the soil is not good for this purpose, and the agent lied about the condition of the ground, then this may also be a reason to sue. Discuss your options with a real estate attorney today!