The Property Ombudsman

  • FeaturesNew building development image
    Regulation & Law

    Non-disclosure of facts could be mis-selling

    Q: When is a top-floor flat not a top-floor flat? A: When a developer wants to build a floor on top of it... says Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman.

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  • Latest property newsThe Property Ombudsman logo image
    Latest property news

    Rogue agent: Ombudsman bans firm for 10 years over unpaid £181,000 award

    In a shocking case of a rogue agent, a firm in Luton has been banned from The Property Ombudsman for ten years after failing to pay an award of £181,254 after it was found to have ‘deliberately’ not passed on substantial amounts of money to a landlord. Altavon Property Managemnet Ltd (APM), which was dissolved late last year but had been trading for three-and-a-half years prior to the award, was asked by a local landlord to manage 31 properties on their behalf based on a two-tier agreement. The landlord rented the properties to APM in return for a fixed return over a set period, leaving APM to manage and rent the properties to whoever they saw fit. By December 2016 APM was behind in rent payments to the tune of £57,000 and continued to miss payments, eventually leading the landlord to complain to TPO. Rogue agent After finding in the landlord’s favour, a large award was then agreed, based on the monies owed plus £200 for each missed payment and compensation for aggravation, distress and inconvenience. But APM failed to pay the award and, after being referred to its Disciplinary & Standards Committee, has now been expelled from TPO for ten…

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  • FeaturesHanding over the key image
    Regulation & Law

    Happy tenancy endings

    "Take great care with the formalities in ending a tenancy, misunderstandings can be very expensive", says Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman.

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  • FeaturesBasement bar image
    Regulation & Law

    Failing to mention a bar in the basement

    "A bar in the basement? Some may be delighted, but the agent should have told the buyer, says Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman."

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  • FeaturesKey & contract signing image
    Regulation & Law

    Agency agreements

    When an agency agreement is agreed and signed, you really must not alter the fee! says Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman

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  • FeaturesStarlings in bird bath image
    Regulation & Law

    Trouble in the communal garden

    "Was a complaint to a management company valid, or was it, a storm in a birdbath?" asks Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman.

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  • Latest property newsHacker image
    Latest property news

    Watch out estate agents, there’s a Chinese email hacker about

    An email hacker in China appears to be targeting UK agents in a bid to spread a computer virus via emails sent from bogus ‘buyers’ pretending to be interested in properties for sale, it has been reported. The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is warning all estate and letting agents to be vigilant after a TPO member was targeted by the individual. The agency, which has not been named, was contacted by a Chinese buyer who expressed keen interest in a property for sale. But when the agent became suspicious about the buyer’s wish to purchase the property quickly and without seeing it, he challenged the individual to supply identification documents before the purchase could proceed any further. He agent told TPO that documents sent over by the Chinese individual were difficult to open and, after passing them to their IT department, it was confirmed the documents contained malware including a series of “potentially destructive viruses”, TPO says. “Fortunately in this case, the scam was identified and no company or customer details were compromised.,” says Gerry Fitzjohn, Board Chairman for TPO commented. “However, this is a reminder to all agents to be both cautious and vigilant. The importance of antivirus software is…

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  • FeaturesLoft conversion image
    Regulation & Law

    Building regulations for loft conversions

    "When is loft conversion a bona fide bedroom? Only when it's properly made up" says Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman.

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  • FeaturesPRS logo
    Regulation & Law

    Naming and shaming

    All agents must, by law, register with one of the three approved property redress schemes – and the system has just been strengthened, so read on.

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  • FeaturesCommunicating with clients image
    Regulation & Law

    Communicating with clients

    "Communication is child’s play these days, so keep in touch with your clients", says Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman.

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