The Property Ombudsman Scheme (TPO) is canvassing member firms over the provision of Client Money Protection (CMP) insurance.

'Whilst membership of TPO requires all residential sales and letting agents to abide by the TPO Codes of Practice, have Professional Indemnity Insurance, and agents holding clients' money to deposit this money in a separate clients account, it does not currently require residential letting agents to hold CMP,' explains Bill McClintock, chairman of the TPO operating company who is circulating a consultation document to members.

Keeping adequate records can make all the difference whether or not an estate agent fails to counter a complaint made to The Property Ombudsman.

In his first Interim Report of 2012, the Ombudsman, Christopher Hamer, directs his attention to the industry and specifically focuses on how property transactions are recorded.

Lettings agents across the UK are continuing to show their support for The Property Ombudsman scheme (TPO), with more than 300 offices joining this year to take the total past 9,000.

'The Government continues to ignore pleas for residential letting agents to be regulated in the same way as sales agents, which we believe would raise standards across the industry,' says Gerry Fitzjohn, chief operating officer of TPO.

Letting agents, consumers and acceptable standards

Following another year which saw a further increase in letting complaints, The Property Ombudsman, Christopher Hamer, is renewing his call for standards to be raised across the lettings industry in his latest Annual Report.

Gerry Fitzjohn has become chief operating officer for the company running The Property Ombudsman Scheme with effect from January 1.

Fitzjohn became vice-chairman of the operating company in 2010, assisting chairman and chief operating officer Bill McClintock.

A party of 20 officials from the Chinese Government has called on the Property Ombudsman, Christopher Hamer, as part a fact-finding tour of the UK.