Katrine Sporle CBE
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Latest property news
TPO pushes back against government plans for whole-sector ombudsman
The Property Ombudsman believes the industry should have separate redress schemes for the social and private halves.
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Latest property news
Are Swansea and Dorset agents worst at displaying letting fees?
The Property Ombudsman Katrine Sporle has revealed that the enforcement letters sent to TPO member agents in Dorset and Swansea last week requiring them to prove they are clearly displaying fees details targeted these areas first because it had found that 50% of letting agents within them were not compliant. Her comments came during her speech at The Negotiator Conference in London earlier this week. The letter (see link below) strikes a new and relatively aggressive tone compared to previous efforts and is a taste of what’s to come for agents elsewhere in the UK. TPO says the campaign is national and that the letters are being rolled out region by region in a phased approach. The next roll-out is due to be revealed. In a nutshell, the letter requires TPO members to provide an image of their fees on display in the branch and a web link and image to demonstrate where their fees are displayed on their website. “Agents in Swansea and Dorset have until 21st November to provide evidence and any agent that fails to do so will be referred to Trading Standards,” a TPO spokesperson told The Negotiator. The campaign is being conducted in partnership with the…
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Associations & Bodies
All change at The Property Ombudsman Scheme
After 13 years with The Property Ombudsman (TPO) – 12 as TPO Board Chairman of TPO, Bill McClintock stands down on 1st January 2016 and Gerry Fitzjohn, currently Vice Chairman, takes up the position. At a reception at the House of Lords, hosted by Lord Richard Best, guests, including The Negotiator’s Editorial Director, Sheila Manchester, celebrated Bill’s achievements of and those of Christopher Hamer, The Property Ombudsman, who is also retiring, having served the maximum nine-year term as Ombudsman. With 50 years experience in estate agency, Bill joined TPO as Chief Operating Officer in 2003, becoming Board Chairman in 2004. Bill (left) said, “When I joined, there were 769 firms with 4,251 offices registered with TPO. Figures now sit at 14,400 sales and 13,500 lettings offices – a significant change. One of my main achievements was encouraging the government to enact the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007, which required all estate agents to register with an Ombudsman Scheme and to get the TPO Scheme approved by the Office of Fair Trading, considerable developments in the industry.” Gerry joined the TPO Board in 2000, from starting as a Sales Negotiator for Taylors in Stony Stratford in 1974 to National…
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Associations & Bodies
TPO announces new Property Ombudsman
Katrine Sporle CBE (left) will take up the role of Ombudsman at The Property Ombudsman, it has been announced. Sporle will start her new job on 1st November 2015, taking over from her predecessor Christopher Hamer (right), whose nine-year term comes to an end on 30th November. Previously, Sporle was Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate for England and Wales for eight years, which involved being responsible for all aspects of the Government Executive Agency, 1,000 members of staff and a £60million budget. She was directly answerable to Parliament and regularly reported to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (CLG), and the Minister for Housing and Planning in the National Assembly for Wales. She commented, “The scope for influence on the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of the nation as a whole was enormous, and exercised through impartiality of decision making to the highest level of professional expertise.” Prior to her role at the Planning Inspectorate for England and Wales, Sporle was Chief Executive of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council for eight years, controlling an overall budget of in the region of £58 million. As the new Property Ombudsman, Sporle’s role will be to impartially review complaints…
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