Full TPO Membership Coverage Includes

Becoming a full member brings greater benefits to your business by giving customers a greater confidence in how they are treated because you will be operating to standards which are higher than those required under the relevant legislation. This allows you to be seen as having high profesional standards and allows use of the TPO logos including the OFT approved code logo if your business deals with residential sales. By becoming a full member with TPO you will also be covered under the CEARA 2007 legislation.

Residential Sales
The sale of residential freehold or long leasehold property. This includes residential property which forms part of a commercial building for sale.

Letting
This includes lettings and Letting Agents.

Commercial Sales and lettings
Applies to estate agency services, provided by a person or organisation in the United Kingdom for buying, selling or letting of premises for commercial use, including shops, offices, business space, industrial and warehouses.

International Sales
Applies to that part of the UK transaction that is conducted under UK law.

Chattels
Applies to services provided in the UK in connection with the auctioning of antiques, general effects and personal property, furniture etc. NB auctions of residential and commercial property are covered by the relevant jurisdiction above.

Residential Leasehold Management
Applies to agents who manage blocks or multiple residential leasehold properties on behalf of the freeholder, head leaseholder or residents management company.

Residential Leasehold Management is charged separately and fees are per company.

Full membership means that you will be operating to standards higher than those required under the relevant legislation as you will be abiding by our Codes of Practice.

Becoming a full member also brings greater benefits, by displaying the TPO logo and in the case of Residential Sales the OFT approved logo on your premises; you demonstrate to the property buying and selling consumer your commitment to consumer protection and customer care.

Under the CEARA 2007, it is a legal requirement that all estate agents dealing in residential sales within the UK have to register with an approved redress scheme. If you are registering as a full member your membership will automatically cover you for this.

To obtain the application form and guidance notes please click on the following links:

• Application form
• *Coming Soon* complete the application form online, in which case you will be required to send supporting documents via post or email.

Supporting Documentation

To support your application the TPO will require the following in order to complete the process:

• Evidence of Professional Indemnity insurance which needs to show the applicable excess and limit of indemnity.

In addition if you are unable to supply us with a registered VAT number or Company Registration number with your application, the following supporting documents are required.

• Two references from your accountant, solicitor or bank manager
  OR
• 1 utility bill addressed to the applicant and dated within the last three months and a photocopy of either your passport or driving license.

In this policy all references to 'we' means The Property Ombudsman

1. This privacy policy sets out how we use and protect any personal information you give us.
2. We are committed to protecting your privacy in line with the Data Protection Act 1998. The personal information you give us will only be used in line with this privacy policy.
3. We may change this policy from time to time. You can always find the most up-to-date privacy policy on our website at www.tpos.co.uk
4. In this policy, when we refer to 'your information' we mean personal information about you and your membership of TPO which we may collect, use, share, store or process in any other way. This includes information we get from you or from anyone else when you apply for membership or at any other time, through any type of communication (verbal, written or electronic), including through letters, calls, emails, websites (for example, internet protocol (IP) address, cookies), applications, phone systems (we may record and use any phone number you call us from), registrations, researches, promotions and competitions or through membership accounts you currently have or have previously had with us.
5. When you give us someone else's personal information (such as that of someone who has complained about your service, someone we can contact about an invoice, a senior partner or director), you confirm that you have got their permission to give their information to us, other departments within TPO and others as described below, and for us to use it as described in this privacy policy. We will record and use any information you give us about someone else in the same way as we record and use your information.
6. We may collect, use, share, store and otherwise process your information to:
1. check that you are eligible to become a member;
2. check your, and your partners' and directors', identity and business status;
3. manage your membership, including processing any payments you make;
4. make sure that our records are accurate;
5. develop and improve our services to you and other members;
6. respond to any questions you ask or complaints you make; and
7. protect our interests, including finding you and recovering any debts you owe, checking details we hold about you, and processing and collecting charges.
7. We will keep your information private and confidential, but we may share it as follows.
• With the TPO Council to meet our duties to report anyone who breaches our Code of Practice and help raise standards within the industry.
• With other competent authorities such as the Office of Fair Trading, Serious Organised Crime Agency and other recognised trade organisations so they can take disciplinary or other appropriate action.
• With anyone who has complained about your service for the purposes of legal proceedings brought by or against you.
• With anyone we transfer information or our rights and duties under this agreement to.
• With another organisation as a result of any sale, restructure, merger or takeover of the TPO, as long as the other organisation uses your information for the same purposes as you originally gave it to us and we used it.
• In line with any permission you have given us.
• If we have a duty to do so or if the law, public interest, or this agreement allows us to do so.
• With carefully selected companies which provide products or services which may be of interest to you.

The TPO require agents to hold appropriate PI cover with a minimum of £100,000 and with an excess of no more than £1,000. If your excess is more than £1,000, then you are required to add the TPO endorsement L1391. There is an exception to this if you are part of a firm of solicitors covered by PI insurance approved by the Law Society in which circumstances the endorsement is not necessary.

TPO Endorsement: Professional Indemnity Insurance

If your agency has more than one branch or have associated entities, all such branches and entities will be deemed to have taken up membership. You must advise us of any new branches and associated entities upon opening. We reserve the right to take such action as may be appropriate in the event of your failure to do so. Please note that an Associated Entity is any entity which carries on estate agency, lettings, commercial or residential leasehold management (as defined in the Terms of Reference) and falls within any of the following:

1. In the same corporate group as the Applicant; or
2. Where the Applicant owns any interest; or
3. Where the Applicant (or someone in the same corporate group as the Applicant) has granted or has been granted a Franchise.

Please note that membership will not be accepted without a Franchisor Agreement, outlining the terms of membership. TPO recognises that large companies and franchisees work differently; in view of this the membership department makes every effort to establish a good working relationship and can tailor terms of membership so that they work for both parties.

To discuss your membership needs please contact the membership department via e-mail membership@tpos.co.uk or call on 01722 333306 selecting the appropriate option.

On receipt of your application form we will process it within 48 hours. If your application is successful you should receive your welcome pack, certificates and logos within 5 working days. If the application form is incomplete it will be returned to you via Recorded Delivery.

If you have not received any communication within this timescale please contact the membership department;

• Tel: 01722 333306 - option 3
• Email: membership@tpos.co.uk

Please send your completed application to:

The Property Ombudsman
Membership Department
Milford House
43-55 Milford Street,
Salisbury,
Wiltshire,
SP1 2BP