The tenants who made this complaint claimed the agent only disclosed all their fees and charges after they had paid a non refundable holding deposit. The Ombudsman’s independent review of the case looked at what information was disclosed and when, to assess if the tenants were treated fairly.
The complainants in this case accused their agent of misrepresenting a property and misleading them into signing a Tenancy Agreement by advertising that the property had parking.
This landlord claimed their agent was negligent and in breach of contract for its failure to adequately reference two tenants who went on to accrue significant arrears, resulting in a court possession order. The agent, who used a recognised third party referencing company, disputed the claims and the landlord lodged a complaint with TPO seeking nearly £20,000 for rent arrears together with compensation for emotional trauma and distress.
This case concerns potential buyers who claimed the agent failed to disclose material information about a planning application for the development of 850 houses opposite a property they wanted to purchase.
Do you know the difference between a sole agency & sole selling rights agreement? This case involves a family executing a sale on behalf of a deceased relative and the importance of understanding your agency agreement.
Jane Erskine, Casework Director at The Property Ombudsman, contributes to an industry article published in October's edition of The Negotiator Magazine.
The Property Ombudsman is helping to raise standards in the property industry, says Katrine Sporle, Property Ombudsman.
Four separate estate and letting agents have been expelled from membership of The Property Ombudsman (TPO) and from registration for lettings redress for two or more years, after failing to pay awards made by the Ombudsman or to comply with parts of the TPO Code of Practice for Residential Letting Agents
On 1st October, The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme will issue updated versions of all its Codes of Practice in order to address emerging industry issues; primarily the manipulation of internet portals, coined ‘portal juggling’.
Access to properties can cause serious issues if the right of way is not documented, says Katrine Sporle, Property Ombudsman.
TPO launches online survey for UK lettings industry to support the Government’s CMP review
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme is delighted to announce that BBC Radio 4 Presenter, Winifred Robinson, will be joining its national Conference on 12th October 2016 as a consumer panellist.
If an agent intends to charge a 'performance fee' it must be clear before he goes on stage, says Katrine Sporle, Property Ombudsman.
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme is delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale for its 2016 Conference “Raising Standards”, taking place on Wednesday 12th October at The National Conference Centre (previously the National Motorcycle Museum), Coventry Road, Solihull, West Midlands B92 0EJ. The National Motorcycle Museum is located directly on the J6 island of the M42, directly opposite the NEC.
The Property Ombudsman, Katrine Sporle, highlights a case study dealing with property marketing...
The Property Ombudsman scheme (TPO) is in full support of a new initiative launched yesterday by The National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS), an Effective Enforcement Toolkit, created to help local authorities tackle rogue letting agents who fail to comply with the law.
Congratulations to TPO members who celebrated success at the Lettings Agency of the Year Awards
New figures confirm a record number of agents are now following TPO’s Lettings Code of Practice, which offers enhanced safeguards for consumers.
Consumers are being warned by the UK’s largest property redress scheme about the actions of two lettings agents based in Southampton. Both agencies, trading as ‘The Flat Agency & Michael Browns Ltd’ and ‘Property Vibe Ltd’, were expelled from lettings redress membership of The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme for a minimum period of three years.
"Take great care when selling retirement property, to avoid accusations of neglect", says Katrine Sporle, The Property Ombudsman.
