October 2009

Bill celebrates 50 years in estate agency

BILL McCLINTOCK, chairman and chief operating officer for The Property Ombudsman board, is celebrating his half century in the property industry.

He started with Henry Duke in Dorchester in September, 1959, so has seen many changes during the intervening years, both in attitudes to property ownership and the way the market has performed.

He has held many senior positions in the industry and now, as well as his duties with The Property Ombudsman, he is also chairman of the steering committee for the Register of Property Agents, his idea to raise standards in the industry still further.

Bill is widely respected within estate agency, both residential and commercial, in the UK and abroad.

After joining the industry as an articled clerk with Henry Duke in September, 1959, he moved to Hampshire in the early 60s and rose to become managing director of Royal Life Estates South, with 250 offices. He was also on the main board of Royal Life Estates from 1988 to 1992.

In 1992, he acquired a major shareholding in Cornerstone Estate Agency when it was purchased from Abbey National plc.

He sold out in 1995 to move to Hamptons as international development director with specific responsibility for Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia at a time when he was able to help many people leaving Hong Kong before its transfer to China find UK homes.

Since then, he has been a founder director of the 700-office Guild of Professional Estate Agents, which he still serves. It also owns Fine and Country, a fast-growing franchise with more than 300 offices.

In 2003 he became chief operating officer of the Ombudsman for Estate Agents (now The Property Ombudsman) for the UK and in 2004 was appointed chairman, a post he currently holds.

He remains a Fellow of both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the National Association of Estate Agents.