The Property Ombudsman
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Latest property news
The Property Ombudsman expels six rogue estate agents including one for 10 years
Redress scheme The Property Ombudsman has expelled six of its rogue estate agent members including one that owes 100 landlords £419,000.
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Features
Lack of information on file
"If a vendor withdraws from a sale and the agent remarkets the property, the agent should, of course, advise the potential buyer – in writing!” says Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman.
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Features
Damage limitation
While water from a leak flowed, driving the leaseholder potty, communication with the managing agent barely trickled,” says Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman.
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Features
Abiding by the rules when offering a promotional commission fee
“When an estate agent offers a promotional commission fee they must ensure that they must themselves abide by the terms of the offer and the TPO Code of Practice,” Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman
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Latest property news
Referral fees are under threat
The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT) has today launched a survey to find out how widespread the use of referral fees from solicitors, surveyors, financial advisors and removal firms is among estate agents. It says the results of the survey will be fed into the Government’s ongoing investigation into referral fees. The survey asks agents to anonymously divulge whether they take such fees from these kinds of third parties, and whether they think referral fees should be retained, made more transparent, or banned. NTSEAT’s survey has the backing of both The Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme and follows the government’s recent call for evidence by a working group set up by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. “The responses [so far] to whether government should take further action to enforce current transparency regulations regarding the disclosure of referral fees were overwhelmingly supportive,” says James Munro, Head of NTSEAT (pictured, left) “But at the inaugural meeting, it was decided that more information was required from agents about the nature of the fees they currently receive. The results of this survey will feed into the working group.” Reassurance Agents who think it might be a bad idea…
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Features
Right to refund
"A buyer paid a reservation deposit and a buyer’s premium but the sale did not go ahead, so should the agent repay the fees? Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman supported the claim and made an award of £6300."
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Features
‘Redress in the property sector is not broken’, says ombudsman Katrine Sporle
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has been resolving consumer disputes with property agents for 27 years. Now the Government has launched a consultation that could lead to a single ombudsman for the whole property sector. Katrine Sporle of TPO, explains its position to Sheila Manchester.
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Features
Case study: when a sole agency agreement stood despite customer complaint
COMPLAINT A case that The Property Ombudsman was asked to review came from a seller concerning the agent’s estate agency agreement. The seller believed that the terms and conditions within the agreement, concerning their liability to pay the agent’s commission fee, lacked clarity and that the agent had not fully complied with their obligations under The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. The seller wanted the agent to change their agency agreement in order for their fee liability to end and compensate them for the aggravation and inconvenience caused by the agent’s actions. INVESTIGATION When investigating this complaint, the Ombudsman took paragraphs 5m and 5n of the Codes of Practice into account. Paragraph 5m explains that an agent’s Terms of Business must clearly state the minimum duration of their instruction and how instruction can be terminated by either party. When a contract is signed by a client (the seller) during a visit by the agent to their home, at their work place, away from the agent’s premises or online, then they must be given a right to cancel that contract within 14 calendar days of signing. The client should be given a ‘Notice of Right to Cancel’.…
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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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Features
How long should it take to fix a window?
"Was a damaged window frame the result of poor maintenance or was the window cleaning contractor being framed?" asks Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman.
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