Homepal vs real estate agents, the company: “the market must evolve”

“We are convinced that we have always operated in compliance with the rules , and therefore also in the past – a period for which the dispute was opened – and we will defend ourselves in every way”. Thus affirms Andrea Lacalamita, founder and president of Homepal , the digital real estate agency subject to an administrative sanction by the Chamber of Commerce of Milan, Monza Brianza and Lodi following several complaints from the Associations of Real Estate Agents and the Inter-association Consultation.

The offense disputed by the Supervisory Committee of the Chamber of Commerce is the improper exercise of the activity of real estate agent by Homepal for the period prior to 17 January 2019. Before that date the company Homepal Real had not yet been introduced Estate srl, regularly registered in the register of real estate agents.
“For some time now, under the spotlight of the Consulta (Fimaa, Fiaip and Anama), the Homepal portal qualifies its activity, also through targeted advertising campaigns, such as ” an agency without agency costs ” , – notes the Commission, – carrying out mediation activities, in return for the payment of a fee (actually commission) upon concluding the deal ”.

The provision published on August 6 states that the abusive exercise of the activity will be punished pursuant to the law with the payment of an administrative fine of between 7,500 and 15,000 euros.
“A provision that will teach,” commented Presidents Santino Taverna (Fimaa), Gian Battista Baccarini (Fiaip), Renato Maffey (Anama) . – Homepal has in fact carried out mediation activities, for a fee, without having the requisites required by law n. 39/1989. The direct consequence of the abusive exercise of the activity will be that all those who, up to 17 January 2019, have used the portal to buy, sell, rent or rent a house will be able to ask Homepal to return the illicitly collected and withheld fees “.

“The truth is simple – the founder of Homepal Lacalamita counters. – Homepal, now equipped with a properly registered real estate agency, allows you to buy and sell a home with an average saving of over 10 thousand euros for every real estate transaction and this is badly tolerated “. Despite the small amount of the administrative sanction Homepal has decided to adopt every initiative of the case in the conviction of having always acted correctly and in a completely transparent manner.

“The same Chamber of Commerce defines the exposures of the” irrational “Associations and” without specific practical references “- continues Lacalamita, – recognizes that the field of mediation is refractory to liberalization and requires regulatory compliance in the face of technological changes and of new market needs. Homepal has opened a new market in Italy, a precursor to a change that is taking place all over the world. We proposed to the Associations to discuss it together, given that the future is built together, but instead we are faced with an attack that is a serious signal towards the market and consumers “.