A north-east award property developer has been fined £9,000 for providing misleading information to customers.
Dandara Limited was found guilty of three charges after a trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday relating to the sale of homes at its luxury Stoneywood Estate in the city.
The company provided misleading statements to Ronald and Sally Buxton, Colin McAllerce and Mandy and Peter McLeod in a brochure entitled The Walled Garden in April and May 2013, relating to the size of rooms in the properties.
The firm was acquitted of a further seven charges relating to the same development.
Defence agent Murdo Macleod QC said after the verdict: “The company Dandara has been in existence for 29 years, has 790 employees and in the course of that time has built approximately 10,500 houses.
“These complaints and the first and only such complaints received by the company.”
Sheriff Morag Mclaughlin said: “The firm will be fined £3,000 for each of the charges.”
Speaking after the verdict Mr Buxton said: “I’m delighted they have been found guilty.
“I planned this home as my retirement home and it’s not the right size.”
A spokesman for Dandara said: “It is important to note the significant change made to the charges during the course of the trial, which acknowledged that room measurements were not incorrect, something which we reiterated throughout proceedings.
“We are disappointed that the court has found that the method of measurement used, which is common across the industry, was not clear and therefore unintentionally misleading.
“We will now review the sheriff’s comments with our legal advisers.”