Agent expelled by Ombudsman for failing to pay award ...

An agency that has now closed down has been expelled by The Property Ombudsman for failing to pay an award of £700.

Leftmove Estate Agent Holdings Limited, trading as Leftmove Estate Agents, was ordered to pay the award to a seller who complained to TPO.

A complaint was received from a seller who was not provided with a ‘Terms of Business’ to sign.

They also complained that they did not receive regular marketing updates, offers were not confirmed in writing and they were unhappy with the way the agent dealt with their complaint.

The agent told TPO that the terms were agreed by email and over the telephone. However, this meant the agent failed to comply with the TPO Code of Practice.

The Ombudsman supported the Terms of Business complaint and made an award of £500.

TPO also found that Leftmove failed to provide regular marketing updates and an award of £100 was made in respect of this complaint. Finally, Leftmove failed to address all the issues raised by the sellers in their complaints for which a further award of £100 was made.

However, Leftmove failed to pay the award leading to the expulsion.

The agent is now no longer trading, there is no active website, and it does not appear to be in any professional bodies or be actively advertising properties on any of the main portals.

As part of TPO’s process, notification of all expulsions are shared with any relevant bodies, including both local and national Trading Standards.