Door knocking is a pretty standard way used by agents to increase their listings. But did you know that there are laws that regulate how we can engage in door to door “sales” and telemarketing? There are some easy guidelines set out by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) regarding “unsolicited consumer agreement”.
An agent engaging in door-to-door sales and telemarketing is not allowed to visit or call during the following times:
And the agent must:
One very important rule to remember is that any contract entered into when a door-to-door sales person attends a consumer’s premises, becomes an unsolicited consumer agreement and that agreement has different rules with regards to cooling-off rights:
Written termination can be delivered personally, sent via post, emailed or sent via fax. The agreement will be cancelled from the day the consumer gives notice.
With the agency agreement legislation only requiring a one business day cooling-off for your agency agreements, it is a very big difference between the two sets of rules.
It would be suggested that if you do decide to door knock or telemarket, that you do NOT sign any agency agreements on the day you door knock. Rather:
This should mean that your next visit to their premises is no longer considered a “door-to-door” visit, but an appointment, and you should be able to avoid lengthy cooling-off periods to your agency agreement.