I have seen a rise locally in the number of Estate Agents including aerial photographs of properties they are marketing (well above the height of mast photography). You would think this would be a good opportunity to offer my services. The problem I've encountered, is that if you ask who is providing the photos, or what they are charging, they will rarely give you any details.
I did speak to one up market chain, who said they were using someone (no name given), but he was proving to be unreliable. When we started speaking about rates for each house, it was clear that although I consider my rates very competitive, I could not match the price the price currently being charged. I asked if the pilot was a licensed operator and got no response (clearly he wasn't). I did find out that the Estate Agent was not paying the pilot. Instead, they were recommending his service to the vendor, who then paid the pilot directly.
I've had several similar conversations and it is clear that there are a number of unlicensed operators in my area.
What can be done about this and have any other members encountered this situation?
I did speak to one up market chain, who said they were using someone (no name given), but he was proving to be unreliable. When we started speaking about rates for each house, it was clear that although I consider my rates very competitive, I could not match the price the price currently being charged. I asked if the pilot was a licensed operator and got no response (clearly he wasn't). I did find out that the Estate Agent was not paying the pilot. Instead, they were recommending his service to the vendor, who then paid the pilot directly.
I've had several similar conversations and it is clear that there are a number of unlicensed operators in my area.
What can be done about this and have any other members encountered this situation?
