IPAV ConventionThere are opportunities for Irish estate agents to open for business in Brussels now that the Services Directive has become law, EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy said at the weekend.

"I am absolutely certain from my own experience of both letting and buying in Brussels that there are good openings for aggressive, high quality, service-driven estate agents in every segment of the market," he told the annual convention of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers & Valuers (IPAV) in the Marriott Druids Glen Hotel on Saturday.

The commissioner also suggested that pan-European mortgages might be possible following a study his department is currently doing on credit intermediaries. "While I do not want to antkicipate the outcome of that study, there may well be a case for creating a passport for mortgage brokers to enable them to sell and provide advice mortgage products acress member states," he told the agents.

IPAV President Sean Mason earlier told the meeting that the new government should restructure the operations of the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB). He said the registration process of tenancies should be transferred to the local authorities and the dispute resolution service remain with the PRTB, thus making it more focused on one area. Such a system operated in other european countries such as Norway. "While the service is good, it is in my view unnecessarily over-bureaucratic and this causes needless delays," he said. "The average waiting time at present is eight months and is far too long for both landlords and tenants." Mr Mason was re-elected IPAV president at the institute's AGM at the weekend.

Around 200 delegates from agencies all over Ireland attended the weekend convention, which was also addressed by former footballer Mick O'Dwyer and Brian and Eamonn Fallon of Daft.