A letting agent which advertised that it was first choice for landlords has been told by the advertising watchdog not to repeat its claim.
Cooksleys Exeter was reported by another Devon agent, Wilkinson Grant & Co, which challenged whether the claim could be substantiated.
Cooksleys Exeter told the Advertising Standards Authority that the aim of the ad was to demonstrate that they were the first choice for landlords for service.
They provided copies of the different versions of the ad that were being run in conjunction with the ad under investigation and two emails from landlords who were happy with their service.
They stated that they did not intend to mislead anyone and believed they were the first choice for landlords for service.
The ASA, however, upheld the complaint.
It acknowledged that Cooksleys Exeter ran a series of ads in conjunction with each other, some of which mentioned details of their service offerings.
It noted they considered the ad to indicate that they were the first choice for landlords for service.
However, the ASA took a different view, considering that people were likely to understand the claim ‘First choice for landlords’ meant that more landlords chose to market their property with Cooksleys Exeter than with any other estate agent in the area.
Because the ASA had seen no evidence to show that was the case, it concluded that the ad was misleading and must not appear again.
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