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KEYWORD "The Property Ombudsman" - 100 RESULTS
Industry veterans land high-profile board roles

LSL Property Services has appointed Michael Stoop to its board as a non-executive director. He brings significant experience in estate agency and...

26 June 2024

From: Breaking News

Record numbers raise concerns about agents but official sales complaints drop

Concerns around market appraisals and how offers are handled are likely to be the key industry complaints this year amid lower...

10 June 2024

From: Breaking News

Lord Best: ROPA reforms won't break the bank for agents

Further estate agency regulation won’t be too expensive for the industry, Lord Best has said. Lord Best, who led the Regulation of...

25 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Material information raises professional indemnity risks - warning

The increased focus on upfront material information could push up estate agency professional indemnity (PI) requirements, an industry trainer has warned. Michael...

19 March 2024

From: Breaking News

‘Legal liability’ concerns raised over Propertymark questionnaire

The Law Society is exploring concerns that Propertymark's Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ) puts agents at risk of legal issues, Estate Agent...

13 March 2024

From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman: ‘Multiple redress schemes cause consumer confusion’

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has questioned if allowing agents to choose their own redress scheme damages consumer trust. Speaking to the House...

06 March 2024

From: Breaking News

House of Lords committee set to consider agency regulation

The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee has set out the key questions it could ask agency representatives as its...

05 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Agency groups to discuss industry regulation in House of Lords

Representatives from Propertymark, Trading Standards and The Property Ombudsman (TPO) are set to discuss estate agency regulation in the House of...

01 March 2024

From: Breaking News

TPO expels two property firms

Two London firms have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) for failing to pay compensation to consumers. This brings the total...

14 December 2023

From: Breaking News

Housing Ombudsmen - our industry's new growth area

It may be a measure of the government’s incompetence in the area of housing that two recent major announcements were sorely...

02 December 2023

From: Features

New compliance product aims to spot regulatory gaps for agents

Compliancy expert Legal Eye has launched a new product to help agents ensure they are properly following all rules and regulations. Its...

19 September 2023

From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman bolsters board

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has welcomed two new non-executive directors to its independent board. Louise Baxter, head of the National Trading Standards...

13 September 2023

From: Breaking News

TPO: Agents must be wary of appraisal and offer complaints 

Estate agents have been urged to be wary of complaints around market appraisals and the handling of offers. The latest annual review...

03 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Agent expelled from redress scheme after buyer complaint

Just one agent was expelled from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) redress scheme in the latest quarter. TPO has revealed that Price Point...

27 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Is your letting business still compliant?

Following publication of the Renter’s Reform Bill and the media coverage surrounding it, many agents and their landlords will understandably have...

27 May 2023

From: Features

TPO: More clarity needed on agency agreements

Agents are being urged to be clearer about their terms of business with clients after the public face of The Property...

15 May 2023

From: Breaking News

Revealed – what estate agents need to know to succeed at compliance in 2023

The dreaded ‘C word’ – compliance – has been facing Estate Agents for years now and it’s not going anywhere. Looking ahead...

15 April 2023

From: Features

Doorsteps among collapsed agents ejected from redress scheme

Eight agents were excluded from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme during the first quarter of 2023 including collapsed online brand Doorsteps for...

06 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Compliance expert: Agency complaints are inevitable

High transaction volumes are likely to lead to more complaints about agents, a compliance expert claims. Paul Offley, compliance officer at The Guild...

18 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Property Natter - day in the life of a NTSELAT policy manager

Given their leading role in the recent upfront information revolution, interest in the work of the National Trading Standards Estate &...

05 November 2022

From: Features

Agency sales complaints rise as issues become more complex - TPO

Increasing numbers of complaints about agents are being resolved without formal investigation but issues are becoming more complex, The Property Ombudsman...

02 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Problems setting up a client account? Here's what to do

Over the last few months, The Letting Partnership has seen an increase in calls from agents who are struggling to open...

22 October 2022

From: Features

Property sourcing agents encouraged to become TPO members

The National Association of Professional Sourcing Agents (NAPSA) has partnered with The Property Ombudsman (TPO) to boost compliance and working practices in...

04 October 2022

From: Breaking News

Revealed! How much agents earn from sales compared with lettings

Sales remain the predominant source of income for most estate agency brands, research claims. The analysis warns that agents shouldn’t ignore lettings...

27 May 2022

From: Breaking News

New material information rules will benefit consumers and agents

Millions of people use online property portals every year to conduct their property search, whether it be for sales or for...

11 May 2022

From: Features

New Deputy for TPO as industry gears up for change

A new Deputy Ombudsman, Lesley Horton, has been appointed by The Property Ombudsman Scheme. She will work alongside Property Ombudsman, Rebecca Marsh,...

21 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Essex online agent expelled from TPO scheme

It was a quiet first quarter this year for sanctions at The Property Ombudsman (TPO). The redress scheme has revealed that just...

08 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Advertising watchdog open to considering SSTC listing complaints

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has said it may consider complaints about ‘misleading SSTC listings’ on portals but suggests it may...

06 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Phil Spencer: Time for agents to grab the gavel as market slows

The market’s likely to slow this year as the rising cost of living saps some buyer confidence, so agents are understandably...

04 March 2022

From: Breaking News

Reform of properties listings welcomed by industry leaders

Industry figures have come out in favour of the long-term programme of new compulsory information to be contained on property listings. From...

22 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Exclusivity Agreements? They’re for “shysters” claims lawyer

The Property Ombudsman should ban agents from using so-called exclusivity agreements on sales, claims a law firm.  Donal Blaney, founder of Griffin...

03 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Trading Standards want public to quiz agents on referral fees

The most senior Trading Standards officer policing the agency industry says he hopes the public will ask about referral fees in...

31 January 2022

From: Breaking News

Property Fraud - Agents have key role to deter crime

An hour-long webinar this week aims to inform agents how to deter property fraud by greater emphasis on compliance, due diligence...

25 January 2022

From: Breaking News

Exclusive: Setback for house buying reform as top expert moves job

Estate Agent Today understands that the civil servant who has been at the heart of plans to reform the house buying...

13 January 2022

From: Breaking News

Conveyancing IT crash exposes weaknesses in transaction process

EAT readers may have seen a piece in Friday’s property section of The Times about the long-running Simplify saga, which has...

13 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Rental Sector Enforcement - time to pull our fingers out

Within weeks the focus of the industry will be on the White Paper to be issued on rental reform before Christmas. Let’s...

16 October 2021

From: Features

Agents urged to conduct extra legal checks on buyers

Agents are being advised to go above and beyond the legal requirements for anti-money laundering requirements.  Paul Offley, compliance officer for The...

13 October 2021

From: Breaking News

360° virtual tours require GDPR and CPR compliance

As virtual tours start to get even more popular, and in some cases become the norm for the majority of letting...

18 September 2021

From: Features

Phil Spencer - Why agents MUST get their communications right

Day in, day out, I see how good estate agents really are.  Whether it’s in my day job on Location, Location, Location...

06 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Complaints about estate agents jump by a third says Ombudsman

The Property Ombudsman says there’s been a big increase in enquiries to its service in recent months, despite the pandemic.  In its...

24 August 2021

From: Breaking News

Seven rogue sales and lettings agencies expelled by Ombudsman

No fewer than seven estate and lettings agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme today. Most of them are now...

30 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Digital onboarding service launches with 900 agency branches

Movebutler, the digital onboarding platform from online auction specialist iamproperty, says it has some 900 agency branches signed up. These include Martin...

28 May 2021

From: Breaking News

New guidance to agents over Dual Fees and vendor dis-instruction

Agents are being advised on what course of action they should take to safeguard their right to fees should they be dis-instructed...

29 April 2021

From: Breaking News

State of the property nation survey – what did we discover?

Our recent state of the property nation survey, which yielded nearly 350 responses from directors to junior negotiators, and many others...

14 April 2021

From: Breaking News

Have tenants in arrears? You need to be aware of this new law

From 4 May 2021, your agency could be blocked from charging late fees, compounding interest on missing rent and taking any...

20 March 2021

From: Features

Photo-refreshing property listings attracts big rise in traffic

Automatically changing the main marketing photo on a portal listing can attract up to 40 per cent more traffic, it has...

09 March 2021

From: Breaking News

How to ensure your letting business remains compliant

Being a letting agent today means keeping up to date with the long list of rules and regulations governing how a...

20 February 2021

From: Features

Beware: Scams galore in Quick Buy property sector - claim

Scams are rife in the quick house buying sector with many companies seeking to take advantage of sellers in desperate situations. That’s...

09 February 2021

From: Breaking News

Countrywide and Foxtons back new scheme to speed conveyancing

Countrywide and Foxtons have thrown their weight behind an idea to identify every single UK residential property with a unique number. The...

13 January 2021

From: Breaking News

Banking barriers for start-ups and how to overcome them

Start-up letting agents looking to enter the market are finding it increasingly difficult to set up in business as banks point...

19 December 2020

From: Features

More complaints to Ombudsman this year, despite market closure

The Property Ombudsman says there have been more complaints lodged about agents so far in 2020 than in 2019. This is despite...

15 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Exclusive - Agents' training and licensing latest from the chair of RoPA

First off, hello and welcome to this new series – appearing in Estate Agent Today’s Breaking News section each month –...

10 December 2020

From: Breaking News

New industry regulator could use versions of TPO codes of practice

The industry regulator who comes into force when the Regulation of Property Agents’ recommendations are adopted may take over versions of...

04 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Referral Fees - agents should disclose them up-front insists Ombudsman

The Property Ombudsman has joined calls for greater disclosure of referral fees by agents.  The issue has become a hot topic in...

30 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Mandatory qualifications for agents “within two or three years”

The mandatory qualifications expected of agents have not been forgotten and will come into effect in two or three years. That’s the...

29 October 2020

From: Breaking News

Regulation of Property Agents - update for industry expected today

A progress report on the Regulation of Property Agents recommendations will be made today by a key RoPA committee member, Mark...

28 October 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents MUST disclose referral fees, Trading Standards tells government

Customers must be told about third party referral fees when buying or selling a home says the National Trading Standards Estate...

02 October 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents, conveyancers and movers pledge greater sales transparency

The cross-sector group looking at reforming the sales process has agreed a new pledge which it says introduces greater transparency for...

25 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Autumn 2020 - seven things to watch

It’s no surprise the mainstream news remains dominated by coronavirus - not so much the actual effect of it right now,...

05 September 2020

From: Features

Property Natter - perception vs reality - why do agents have a bad rep?

It’s fair to say that UK estate agents don’t have the best of reputations, often featuring in the lists of the...

29 August 2020

From: Features

Agent expelled by Ombudsman for failing to pay award to seller

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

26 August 2020

From: Breaking News

PropTech firm swipes at Purplebricks over property measurements

A PropTech firm that regularly claims London homes are mis-measured in property descriptions has taken a swipe at Purplebricks. Pupil, a spatial...

05 August 2020

From: Breaking News

Code of Practice marks welcome progress for RoPA recommendations

Earlier this month, it was revealed that property industry bodies have joined a new Code of Practice Steering Group to enact...

25 July 2020

From: Features

“Busy Bodies!” - agent slams industry leaders writing code of conduct

The new code of conduct for estate agents has been dismissed as “a waste of time” - and the senior industry...

21 July 2020

From: Breaking News

Property Natter – who are the industry’s major trade bodies?

They are the names we hear about often, pushing for this or seeking clarifications on that. They are the representatives of...

04 July 2020

From: Features

Code of Practice for Estate Agents set to change industry forever

A new estate agency Code of Practice is to be written by a group set up by the Royal Institution of Chartered...

01 July 2020

From: Breaking News

Agency regulation: still no government action, one year on

The recommendations to regulate and train the estate agency industry put forward a year ago remain on the Housing Secretary’s desk...

30 June 2020

From: Breaking News

'No DSS' lawsuits - what do letting agents need to know?

Over the last few years, there have been a number of high-profile court cases in which renters took action against letting...

30 May 2020

From: Features

All Change! Agents should reform ‘before government intervenes’

The industry should continue to prepare for large-scale reforms such as mandatory agency training, the licensing of agents and a new...

21 May 2020

From: Breaking News

Poor communication the biggest cause of Ombudsman complaints

There’s been a substantial 20 per cent rise in formal complaints about agents taken up by The Property Ombudsman.  The figures refer...

11 May 2020

From: Breaking News

Expelled! Agents kicked out by Ombudsman for not paying awards

The Property Ombudsman has announced the expulsion of eight agencies, all for contravening TPO codes of practice. Most of the expulsions were...

04 May 2020

From: Breaking News

Virtual Viewings Warning - agents should keep copies in case of dispute

The Property Ombudsman is advising agents to use virtual viewings only as a filtering process with offers being agreed only ‘subject...

01 May 2020

From: Breaking News

40 to 50 calls a day still coming in to The Property Ombudsman

The Property Ombudsman’s office is still receiving 40 to 50 calls a day from the public, even though most transactions with...

23 April 2020

From: Breaking News

Change - The key to unlocking demand after the lockdown

If it’s really the case that estate agents’ offices could be in the category of High Street premises first allowed to...

18 April 2020

From: Features

Hair today, gone tomorrow - close shave in a good cause for a familiar face

To many less fortunate on the follicle front, high profile industry supplier Ed Mead has enjoyed an infuriatingly good head of...

15 April 2020

From: Breaking News

Scam and Fraud Alert: Sellers urged to check authenticity of ‘buyers’

Sellers are being warned to make strict checks before responding to advertisements apparently from prospective buyers.  The National Association of Property Buyers...

14 April 2020

From: Breaking News

Property Ombudsman conference is latest casualty of Coronavirus

The Property Ombudsman has announced that it will postpone its annual conference, which was to have been on June 18, until...

20 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Tenant Engagement

There is no doubt that the BBC News article in early February caused something of a stir within the Deposit Free...

12 March 2020

From: Sponsored Content

Agent training to include Modern Method of Auction compliance

Training operator The Able Agent is to include a module on the Modern Method of Auction in its future programme.  Charlotte Jeffry-Campbell,...

12 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Agent Qualifications: ‘Get On With It’ says architect of reform

The author of dramatic reform proposals for estate agents has given a clear message to ministers - Get On With It!  Lord...

09 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Phil Spencer: Communication is king – how can agents wear the crown?

Agents are consistently being told that they need to get on board with change. And one could quite easily make the...

02 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Transaction times slashed and fall-throughs cut by new agents toolkit

The National Association of Estate Agents has launched its Sales Protocol Toolkit, in a bid to reduce fall-throughs and dramatically improve...

28 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Seven days left for agents to defend referral fees to Trading Standards

Agents now have only seven days to complete a referral fees survey, announced late on Friday by Trading Standards and The...

10 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Urgent Referral Fees survey of agents launched by Trading Standards

The National Trading Standards Estate & Letting Agency Team and The Property Ombudsman have launched an urgent survey to assess awareness...

07 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents Beware: Mandatory disclosure of referral fees still a possibility

It is possible that agents and their business partners in the conveyancing, mortgage and survey industries could be obliged to have...

29 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Every agent must pass qualification exams in ‘new era’

Some older estate agents may end up retiring when mandatory examinations and qualifications are introduced as there will be no ‘free...

28 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Future of referral fees may be revealed at upcoming conference

The annual conference of the National Association of Estate Agents takes place on February 27 - the date when the future...

21 January 2020

From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman to quit role in November

The Property Ombudsman role is being advertised. The current Ombudsman, Katrine Sporle, is giving up the role in November after five years in...

13 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Searches: consumer chief and Propertymark leader join trade body

The Council of Property Search Organisations has named three industry figures as members of its newly-formed compliance committee, set to regulate...

16 December 2019

From: Breaking News

One of UK’s top agents joins ‘self employed’ hybrid agency

Mark Bentley, the immediate past president of the National Association of Estate Agents, has become the highest profile agent yet to...

11 November 2019

From: Breaking News

TPO increases fees - and agents who generate most complaints pay more

The Property Ombudsman scheme is increasing its fees in January for the first time in six years - and it’s implementing...

11 November 2019

From: Breaking News

Huge shake-up of sellers’ information being considered

First details have emerged of the information vendors may have to provide up-front In future transactions if government house buying reforms...

21 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Industry bodies back Modern Method of Auction best practice guide

Three key industry organisations have endorsed a best practice guide for the controversial Modern Method of Auction. The iamsold guide is aimed at...

03 October 2019

From: Breaking News

PropTech firm wants to clean up image of Modern Method of Auction

A company operating the controversial Modern Method of Auction says it is trying to improve the sector’s image after a series...

30 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Modern Method of Auction firm has sold 16,500 homes in a decade

iamproperty, parent company of IAMsold, says it now works with 2,500 estate agency branches nationwide and has sold over 16,500 properties...

14 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Agents warned to be in a redress scheme for ALL aspects of their work

Estate and letting agents are being urged to check that they are signed up with an approved redress scheme that covers...

25 July 2019

From: Breaking News

‘Good communication helps keep vendor expectations in check’

Improved communication and increased transparency throughout the buying process can manage vendors’ expectations, improve satisfaction scores and create long-term clients. That’s the...

18 July 2019

From: Breaking News

Radical reform for agency industry to be signed off by minister today

Some of the most radical reforms ever proposed for estate and letting agents are expected to be signed off today by...

15 July 2019

From: Breaking News

Clampdown on agents - Ombudsman to refer more to Trading Standards

The Property Ombudsman will in future refer more estate agents to the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agent Team if...

11 July 2019

From: Breaking News

New industry regulator and qualifications ‘in place within two years’

A new industry regulator is likely to be in place within two years according to the chair of the government’s Regulation...

11 July 2019

From: Breaking News

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