Real Estate Institute chief executive, Bindi Norwell said Quinovic had done a number of things that were 'potentially not great' for their customers.

Property managers Quinovic, who once boasted of their positive reputation amongst landlords, are now facing claims some of their landlord reviews are fake.

The Te Aro branch of Quinovic has a five star rating on Facebook from landlords and renters alike.

In August the Te Aro branch was widely criticised for ads targeted at landlords that said: "Your tenants may hate us. You will love us".

FACEBOOK According to his Facebook review Jarrod Haynes is a satisfied Quinovic landlord but his country of residence is listed as Kenya and his photo can be found on stock image websites.

On Thursday, Quinovic chief operating officer Paul Chapman said the firm had "become aware" of claims many positive reviews on its Te Aro franchisee's Facebook page were fake.

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“We have recently become aware of this claim and are actively seeking to determine the facts. Until the process concludes, we have no further comment.”

SUPPLIED This controversial advert was published by Quinovic's Te Aro franchisee and was later taken down.

All of the Te Aro franchisee's reviews were from Facebook profiles with no photo attached or photos that appeared on other websites under different names.

A Facebook user posting on the page under the name 'Burt Baker" made allegations many of the reviews were from fake accounts.

One alleged fake landlord, Jerrod Hayes, posted on Facebook that Quinovic was "a breath of fresh air for my property as I was really struggling to get things right on my own".

SCREENSHOT Quinovic's chief operating officer said the firm was 'actively seeking' the facts around the case.

"I would definitely recommend you to have your rental property managed by a professional service like Quinovic Te Aro if you want to take the stress out of your investment."

Hayes' profile uses a picture found on several stock image websites and his country of residence is listed as Kenya.

Four reviewers on Quinovic Te Aro's page appear to have reviewed both Quinovic and a British company called European Removal Services.

Real Estate Institute of New Zealand(REINZ) Chief Executive Bindi Norwell said if the reviews were proven fake they would breach advertising standards and potentially fair trading regulations as well.

"Quivonic has been an organisation that has done a number of things that are potentially not great for their customers. It's had a number of issues, it's had issues with Facebook and they've been up against the tenancy tribunal."

Norwell said the practice of fake reviews would breach REINZ's code of conduct but Quinovic was not a registered member and the unregulated nature of the property industry meant there were few standards the company could be held to.

"That's why we're advocating for the property management industry to be regulated. This is a classic example of why it's important so people know what the standards and the codes of practice are."

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