Auctioneers, surveyors and property managers plan to seek a meeting with the Data Protection Commissioner to resolve a dispute over the publication of property prices.
The Irish Auctioneers and Valuers Institute (IAVI) president Edward Carey said he hoped there would be a speedy resolution to the issue.
The matter arose in April when it emerged that The Irish Times had written to some estate agents expressing concern at exaggerated sales prices being submitted for publication. The IAVI pointed out that data protection legislation prevented it from publishing sales prices without the consent of buyers and sellers.
The IAVI held a meeting in Dublin this morning to discuss the issue with bodies including the National Consumer Agency, the Law Society, the Society of Chartered Surveyors and representatives from the Departments of Environment and Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
“We are pleased that a consensus recognised the existence of data protection problems in the property sector,” Mr Carey said.
“Today, we have agreed that this issue goes beyond house prices and includes the freedom of comparable evidence for arbitrations, Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs), court cases and rent reviews.”
He said a meeting would now be sought with Billy Hawkes, Data Protection Commissioner to look at the data protection implications of changing legislation or introducing a ministerial order that would allow for the publication of certain information.
