A policewoman is furious after an estate agents told her she had to get a mortgage through them before an offer on a house would be accepted.

Nicola Kerr is about to join Southend police and move out of her mum and dad's Chelmsford home into a new house with her soldier boyfriend Matt Yorke, 27.

The 20-year-old, of Great Baddow, Chelmsford, knew buying her first home would be stressful, but she said she was horrified when Connells estate agents told her she had to go to them for a mortgage.

Nicola said: "It was terrible. I knew I could get a mortgage at a good rate anywhere and I told them so, but they said I had to come in and see their mortgage adviser.

"I was horrified and it really upset me."

But Nicola added if she had not had her mother there to help and advise her she probably would have taken out a mortgage with the firm.

She said: "The house was lovely and I really wanted it. I probably would have agreed to do whatever the estate agents said."

The couple put in an offer of £77,000 for the £78,000 home, but when they rang to check if it had been accepted they claim agents refused to tell them.

Connells then sent the couple a letter stating that the offer had been accepted - on condition they took out a mortgage with themselves.

The letter said: "The vendors have agreed to take the property off the open market if your mortgage is arranged with ourselves, and to this effect I would like to confirm that an appointment has been made with our resident mortgage consultant."

Nicola's mum, Margaret, 52, was furious. She said: "How many young people buying their first homes would just think it was normal to have to get your mortgage through the estate agents.

"They are preying on people's ignorance."

Margaret complained to Connells and took the case to the Office of Fair Trading.

Finally she received a letter from the estate agent's quality control director apologising for the trouble.

The letter said: "The correspondence to your daughter was poorly worded and was not a standard letter.

"I am sorry that this was misinterpreted as any form of pressure as this was not the branch's intention."

When approached by the Evening Echo, a spokesman for Connells said: "We have investigated the complaint and having spoken to Mrs Kerr and subsequently written to her with our findings, the matter has been resolved to her satisfaction and the case has been closed."

Graeme Miles, of the Office of Fair Trading, said he could not comment on individual cases, but added: "We have recently issued a warning to estate agents regarding certain practices and we will deal with them severely if they persist in carrying out these practices.

"Among them is telling buyers that their offer will not be passed on until it has been qualified by the agency's financial adviser."

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