Property Ombudsman Rebecca Marsh is to retire at the end of this month after almost five years in the role, it has been announced.

Marsh took over from Katrine Sporle in June 2020 having previously spent the previous 17 years overseeing complaints against a range of industries including the nuclear, police and health sectors and latterly as Chief Legal Ombudsman.

She has overseen a busy five years at The Property Ombudsman (TPO) including regular jumps in the number of complaints against agents by members of the public and landlords, as well as efforts to tackle industry-wide and housing issues such as mould, conditional selling and dual fees.

Milestone

“Having reached a milestone birthday, I advised the Board toward the end of last year that I wished to retire and take full advantage of being one of the lucky few whose pensions kick in at an early age,” she says

“With The Property Ombudsman being in a good place for a new Chair and Ombudsman to build on the solid foundations, I am confident that the organisation is well prepared to move forward to the next stage of its journey. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank member businesses for their membership and support throughout my tenure.”

“Naturally, once my initial excitement at retirement wears off, I will be looking for a suitable non-executive director position to keep my brain active and to share my experience.”

Diana Warwick, Chair of The Property Ombudsman Board, adds: “We are very grateful for the contribution made by Rebecca to the organisation and we all wish her well in the next phase of her life.

“We will announce plans for recruitment in due course. In the meantime, our Deputy Ombudsman, Lesley Horton, will act as interim Ombudsman and Andy Clachers, our Chief Operating Officer, will act as interim CEO.”