"It is evident that the vast majority of consumers are happy with their agent"
Property Ombudsman, Katrine Sporle, announced that the overall number of awards TPO instructed agents to pay in 2016 reached in excess of £1 million for the first time. In addition, while the number of complex complaints reviewed by TPO grew by 7.5% to 3,553 - so too did the number of sales and letting agents joining the scheme.
Katrine Sporle, Property Ombudsman, said: “TPO works with the industry and consumers to get things right, put things right and set things right. This year, TPO’s Codes of Practice, approved by Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), have been revised to clarify many of the issues consumers found confusing or misleading, including full disclosure on fees and charges,
pre-contract deposits and referencing.
To help put things right, we resolved a record number of complex complaints, which resulted in total awards reaching £1.2 million. We will continue to set things right by promoting best practice through our regular case studies, regional workshops, industry seminars, and national conferences.
There are now 38,017 offices and departments following our unique Codes of Practice, demonstrating agents’ commitment to raising standards and providing a better service to their customers. It is evident that the vast majority of consumers are happy with their agent. To help paint an overall picture, the 1,310 sales complaints resolved by TPO in 2016 equates to 0.1% of all sales transactions completed during the year.”
