TPO
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Latest property news
7 agents expelled by ombudsman over unpaid fines of £112,257
Seven estate and letting agents have been expelled from membership of The Property Ombudsman (TPO) after failing to comply with parts of the TPO Codes of Practice.
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Features
A tenant’s home is, indeed, their ‘castle’
Tenants said they had felt vulnerable when a contractor entered their home without their knowledge or agreement. Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman, discovered that the same issue had arisen a few years earlier, but the agents had not improved their processes.
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Latest property news
Agent fined £3k after a tenacious Local Authority wins case
The agent had ‘inadequate redress membership’ with The Property Ombudsman.
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Regulation & Law
Huge increase in workload for TPO may lead to rising fees
Extra workload created by surge in enquiries from members of public may lead to higher fees, the ombudsman has warned.
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Features
Deposits are deposits!
"Landlords complained that the agent used a deposit as rental payment. Further rent payments were missed and eventually the landlords won a possession order. However, says Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman, they did not accept that the agent acted properly."
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Features
Nightclubs and niggles
A tenant was unhappy about various matters, primarily that the agent ‘lied’ about the nightclubs near the property...
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Latest property news
Number of dual-fee disputes rising as too many estate agents ‘take a punt’
The Property Ombudsman has clarified it guidance to stop agents carrying on with sales despite knowing they did not initiate introduction.
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Features
Selling a rental property
"A landlord, who wanted to sell his rental property, complained to The Property Ombudsman about two issues: the estate agent’s viewing arrangements and their financial evaluation of the buyer, reports Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman.
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Latest property news
We found him! Missing estate agent said to be living with parents
The whereabouts of missing estate agent Lee Clarke have been revealed after an associate told The Negotiator that he has returned to his home town of Windsor and is now living with his parents. 40-year-old Clarke’s business Berkshire Estate Agents was picketed by angry tenants and landlords recently after Clarke is alleged to have disappeared with funds owed to clients. He is also being sought by Trading Standards after ignoring orders by The Property Ombudsman to return funds to several clients. Berkshire County Council (BCC), which is the local trading standards authority, said it was also aware that his company was no longer a member of a redress scheme and is liable to a £5,000 fine. Disappeared Our source says Clarke has been threatening both friends and family who have tried to find out what is going on, and therefore wishes to remain anonymous, but says Clarke initially disappeared with his girlfriend to a rented property on the Wirral. “He came across as a bit of a cheeky chappy and I got on with him OK but he would often boast about doing big deals and was often quite aggressive,” the source says. Clarke and his girlfriend then travelled to…
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Features
Fraudulent tenant references
"A landlord was concerned about the referencing of one particular tenant. He believed that the application was likely to be fraudulent and sought compensation from the agent, reports Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman."
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