Alongside some others in the industry including Richard Bowser, the editor of Property Investor News and Paul Shamplina of Landlord Action, I have been campaigning for some years to try and improve the quality of service provided to the property investment community and now it appears that we arent alone!

Over the last year, there has been an increase in the number of property investment or sourcing companies who have fallen foul of the law in some way, shape or form. Albeit it will take some time for legal judgements and rulings to filter through, but it seems there is the start of some action being taken on behalf of the many investors who have fallen foul of property scams or from overly optimistic property investment claims.

Since the credit crunch, there has been a realisation by the government, FSA, mortgage lenders and other industry professionals that during the crazy years up to the crash in 2007, land, property and finance has attracted scammers, fraudsters and criminal gangs who have cost consumers and the wider industry hundreds of millions of pounds.

For example, in one case recorded in 2009, six different individuals were charged over a suspected £50m mortgage fraud. This case involved a property developer, surveyor and solicitors. Mortgage fraud was committed on both residential and commercial properties. Properties were legitimately bought for £5.5m but false valuations meant lenders were deceived to the tune of over £49m! Once the case was over, the property developer Saghir Ahmed Afzal and the surveyor Ian McGarry were convicted for fraud and are now serving 13 and 7 years respectively.