b'THE PROPERTY OMBUDSMAN ANNUAL REPORT 2019ComplianceCommitteeTPOs Codes of Practice are independently approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institutes (CTSI) Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS). This is an important approval which underpins the role of TPOs Codes in not only promoting best practice within the sector but also in producing accessible and up to date Codes which can be easily understood by consumers and agents alike.One of the key criteria of theThe remaining case concerned a residential leasehold CCAS approval is for a codemanagement company. sponsor like TPO to operate an independently chairedAction by the CC resulted in 15 cases being successfully disciplinary committee, whichsettled with consumers receiving what was rightly due is why we have a Complianceto them.However, of the remainder, 10 agents had Committee (CC).The CCalready ceased trading and 15 related to agents who reports to Board and is mainlywere no longer members of TPO or any other redress tasked with securing thescheme.The other cases were agents who were Gillian Fleming,implementation of decisionsapparently still trading yet did not comply withChair of Compliancemade by the Ombudsman onthe Ombudsmans award. Altogether in 2019, 22 agentsCommitteethe relatively few occasionswere expelled from TPO relating to 44 letting complaint where a property businesscases and 1 sales complaint case. The remainingdoes not comply. The CC can impose various sanctions,cases are ongoing. including issuing warnings, fining agents and expellingWhere expulsion occurred, our Memorandum of them from the TPO scheme. Understanding with the other scheme ensures that TPOs Codes of Practice intentionally simplify thethose agents could not register for redress elsewhere complex legal and contractual landscape to enable at a later date unless any consumer awards outstanding TPO agents to clearly understand what is expectedare paid. Every case was also reported to National of them when dealing with consumers and how toTrading Standards and agents can be fined 5,000 ifprovide a good service. This also means that perceivedthey are found to be trading illegally withoutshortcomings can be easily measured against theredress registration.Codes, providing consistency in the decisions andIn 2019 we revised our approach to referrals to promote awards made by the Ombudsman. early settlement and there was a 19% decrease in The Ombudsman reviewed 3,731 complex complaints incases referred to the CC during 2019, compared to 2019 and made financial awards to consumers in 2,8362018. Overall, when considered within the context of cases. Consumers and agents need to know that, when2,775 agents who did pay the awards made against an agent has been judged to have acted unfairly andthem, the compliance rate was 98% which underlines does not put it right, there will be action against them. TPOs effectiveness in ensuring consumers receive the In 2019, 61 new referrals were made to the CC as appropriate redress.against 76 in 2018.These related to 38 different agencies including one agent responsible for 8 cases.All were for failure to pay an award and/or carry out a direction imposed on them by the Ombudsman. Only 3Gillian Fleming referrals related to an estate agency, while 34 related CC Chair to letting agencies. 16'