Forms and Information:

• TPO Membership Benefits
• Newsletters
• OFT Consumer Notice A5
• OFT Consumer Notice A6
• OFT Notice Labels
• Contact The Property Ombudsman
• Privacy Policy
• Data Sharing Agreement

General Office Documents

• Terms of Reference (pdf)
• Guidance for In-House Complaints Handling (pdf)
• Guidelines for Dealing with Vulnerable Customers (pdf)
• Agency Agreements
• Canvassing for New Business
• Guidance for Estate Agents – Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (pdf)

Residential Sales

• Code of Practice
• Consumer Guide (pdf)
• Guidance - The Property Ombudsman Process (pdf)

Residential Lettings

• Code of Practice
• Consumer Guide (pdf)
• Supplement to Terms of Reference
• Guidance for Member Agents (pdf)

CEARA

• Guidance for Registered Agents and Statutory Redress Arrangements
• Best Practice Guidance on Approach to Resolution

Disciplinary and Standards Committee (DSC)

• Introducing the DSC
• The role of the DSC - Guidance for Agents
• DSC Terms of Reference
• DSC Procedures

Useful Information

• Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007 (pdf)
• Property Misdescriptions Act 1991
• Housing Act 2004 (pdf)
• OFT Estate Agency Guide (pdf)

Useful Links

• Office of Fair Trading
• Communities and Local Government
• National Association of Estate Agents
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Please Note: All references to the masculine include the feminine on TPO website and documents.

Welcome to The Property Ombudsman Scheme

Bill McClintock

The Ombudsman scheme started in 1990 and was extended in 1998 to its present form as a voluntary redress body to resolve complaints against residential estate agents and residential letting agents. It is paid for by subscription on a per office basis by the Industry and is free to consumers. However, before a complaint can be referred to the Ombudsman it must be put to the agent's internal complaints procedure. There are no further costs to Members for resolving disputes.

In many cases disputes are resolved without a formal referral but the office in Salisbury deals with over 12,000 enquiries during the year and around 1,000 cases per annum brought to the Ombudsman for resolution.

There are Codes of Practice and Consumer Guides available for agents and consumers. We carry out a monitoring process to establish how consumers view the service they receive from their sales agents.

The Property Ombudsman welcomes you as a Member and is pleased to give advice to you whenever it can and provides newsletters on industry related matters.

Bill McClintock,
Chairman of the Board

Membership Information

Consumers and Estate Agents Redress Act 2007
The Property Ombudsman Limited is approved under the Consumer Estate Agents Redress Act 2007 which came into force on 1st October 2008. The Act requires estate agents to belong to an independent approved redress scheme which will determine disputes between estate agents and buyers or sellers of residential property in the UK. The Act also strengthens the regulation of estate agents through measures such as:

• allowing trading standards officers to inspect those records and
• expand the circumstances in which OFT can take regulatory action against estate agents
• anticipates requiring estate agents to keep permanent records for up to six years with effect from April 2011

Printed Stationery and Window Stickers
If you require more stationery or window stickers please complete a stationery order form.

Membership Details
On joining the TPO Scheme, your company details will be displayed on our website which is available to the public, and in order to remove confusion for consumers all offices trading under the same company or brand name are required to join. Administrative and headquarters offices that do not deal directly with consumers need to register, but will not be charged.

We are now contacting our members regularly by email with our newsletters and quarterly reports, please check that your firm's details are displayed correctly on the TPO website.

Updating your membership details
If you would like your membership details amending or updating please telephone the Membership team on 01722 333306 - option 3 or email membership@tpos.co.uk.

Monitoring
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) conduct monthly surveys of our member agents, on a random basis, to demonstrate both member compliance with the Code of Practice and to gauge overall levels of client satisfaction.

We have arranged for Referenceline (an independent that specialises in surveys and analysis) to facilitate the survey on our behalf. If you are selected you are expected to complete the monitoring by the closing date given. However, we are aware there are exceptions, so if you have any queries regarding the monitoring at any time you can contact Janet Fitzpatrick or Helen Hammond on 01722 335458.

If you have taken part, you can view results (which remain on our website for 2 years), under Find a Member, and if you wish you can have them emailed to you by contacting Referenceline on 0870 870 1010.