More than 50 real estate agencies have been caught underquoting in the most recent crackdown by NSW Fair Trading.

The businesses were slugged with $105,000 in fines after a targeted blitz found more than half the agents examined were using the illegal sales tactic.

Agents in the St George and Illawarra region and Dubbo have been the latest to be zeroed in on by Fair Trading, which inspected 77 businesses in the region in August.

None of the 30 agencies inspected in Dubbo were found to be underquoting, but Fair Trading issued 13 fines — totalling $28,600 — after inspecting 47 businesses in the St George and Illawarra region.

Inspections in Tweed Heads and Sydney’s inner west and northern beaches resulted in 36 fines — totalling $79,200 — being issued earlier this year.

“There was a stark contrast in compliance levels across the state,” said Better Regulation minister Matt Kean. “Dubbo [showed] 100 per cent compliance with the law, while other areas like Sydney’s inner west and Tweed Heads had less than 50 per cent compliance.”

Underquoting, which is banned but hard to prove, occurs when a real estate agent deliberately misleads buyers by understating property prices in a bid to increase the number of people who will compete for it, ultimately driving up the price.

Laws were introduced in 2016 to stop agents understating prices or giving vague property prices such as “offers above $1 million”. Agents must also provide documentation to inspectors to prove they have complied with the new legislation.

If caught underquoting they can face fines of up to $22,000 and may also lose their commission and fees earned from the sale of the property.

This year fines of $2200 have been issued to 49 of 52 businesses caught underquoting, totalling $107,800. Of the three business that escaped fines, two were given further education on the laws and the third a warning letter.

Mr Kean said giving families false hope that they could purchase a property that is out of their price range, was ”just plain crook”.

“Buying a home can be stressful enough, without families having to worry about being sucked in by shady real estate agents,” he said.

“That’s why Fair Trading is out on the beat conducting compliance checks and will continue to come down hard on anyone who does the wrong thing.”

Mr Keen urged anyone who felt they have been the victim of underquoting to contact Fair Trading. Community complaints are one factor which determine the areas targeted as part of the ongoing crackdown.