The definition of Redress

Do you ever feel like the world is ganging up on you? Sales and letting agents are the whipping-boy of the property industry, they have to belong to an approved redress scheme and can be fined up to £5000 if they do not. The agency, seemingly, is always in the wrong, while buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants are – until proved otherwise – the wronged party. The inference is that the agent is a ‘rogue’ but the number of ‘rogues’ is lower than you’d think. One big issue with redress is that with so many ways to complain, and a rising awareness of our rights, complaining is very popular. The national press delight in reporting on heartbreaking stories of clients let down by rogue agents, always with the inference that it is a common problem, that estate and letting agents, are generally untrustworthy – patently unfair. However, all three redress schemes: The Property Ombudsman, Property Redress Scheme and Ombudsman Services: Property, are still growing in membership and, as a result are reporting an increasing number of complaints. Business is brisk. The Property Ombudsman (TPOS), for example, reported a 42 per cent year-on-year rise. However, TPOS has over 30,000 member offices…

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