Surveyor and letting agency expelled from The Property Ombudsman

Two London companies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) for failing to pay compensation to consumers bringing the total number expelled this year to 13, down from 18 in 2022.

Both companies, Prinsegate Chartered Surveyors and Monsoon Properties, were referred to the TPO’s Compliance Committee which ruled that they should be excluded from The Property Ombudsman scheme.

MONSOON PROPERTIES

The Property Ombudsman supported a complaint and awarded £2,000 after North London-based Monsoon Properties failed to return vacant possession of a property to a landlord as requested at the end of a guaranteed rent agreement.

As a result, the landlord was left with a tenant in situ, paying a sum below market rate, that stayed over 14 months beyond the end of the fixed term (of the rent guarantee agreement).  Monsoon Properties had not issued possession proceedings that were expressly referred to in their Terms of Business.

Monsoon Properties set up a payment plan to the landlord but only two of the eight instalments were made to the landlord.

An investigation by The Neg seems to suggest that Monsoon Properties is no longer trading as there is no online presence and both accounts and confirmation statements overdue.

Booted out

Meanwhile, Kingston Upon Thamesbased Prinsegate Chartered Surveyors got booted out after TPO supported five issues raised by a consumer who had instructed a survey prior to purchasing a property and awarded the cost of the survey back to the complainant by making an award of £890.

The Ombudsman found that the surveyor neglected to assign condition ratings to individual elements, thereby leaving their opinions on the condition of each element unclear. Prinsegate also consistently recommended further investigations or confirmation of findings for nearly all elements, even in the absence of identified issues.

The report caused unnecessary confusion by inconsistently describing windows as timber framed and later referring to them as metal-lined, without adequately clarifying the full construction details.

Furthermore, the inclusion of costings for injecting a damp-proof course, despite it being an unviable option for a listed property, indicated a lack of awareness on the surveyor’s part. The firm also failed to explain the difference in costings given for the installation of a fire break, with one email stating this would be £2,000 and the costing report identifying this as £30,000.

STILL TRADING

The Neg was unable to determine whether Prinsegate Chartered Surveyors is still trading – although an old Facebook page does link through to a firm called Prince Surveyors which also has offices in Kingston and is also a member of The Property Ombudsman. Prince Surveyors have been contacted for comment.

Property Ombudsman Rebecca Marsh (main picture), says: “It is encouraging to see a decrease in the number of agents being referred to the Compliance Committee.

“This demonstrates our ongoing effectiveness in ensuring that nearly all consumers encountering issues receive the redress they deserve.

“As part of TPO’s compliance process, notification of these expulsions has been shared with all relevant bodies, including both local and national Trading Standards for further investigation, as well as all property portals.”