Introduction to The Property Ombudsman
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) came into being on 1 May 2009. Formerly, the Ombudsman for Estate Agents (OEA), the name change was made to reflect the broader jurisdiction in relation to Complaints we are now able to deal with, e.g. Sales, lettings, commercial and overseas. The Ombudsman for Estate Agents (OEA) Scheme was originally established on 1 January 1998 and in June 2006, the OEA also extended its services to Lettings and Property Management agents.With effect from September 2009 disputes relating to personal searches and the compiling of a Home Information Pack by firms registered with the Property Codes Compliance Board as subscribers to the Search Code of Practice can be put before the Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman's role is to reach a resolution of unresolved disputes in full and final settlement and, where appropriate, he will make an appropriate award of financial compensation or other action (eg: an apology). Therefore, if you feel that you have been disadvantaged by the actions or inactions of a PCCB registered firm, you have access to an independent dispute resolution service and can be certain of receiving a fair and reasonable judgment of your complaint.
The TPO Consumer Guide, available elsewhere on this site, provides further information about the TPO scheme.
The following pages answer common questions about TPOs, explains the procedure and sets out exactly what you will have to do if you decide to have your dispute settled under TPOs. If you have any questions once you have finished reading these notes, please contact us at:
The Property Ombudsman
Milford House,
43-55 Milford Street,
Salisbury,
Wiltshire
SP1 2BP
Telephone: 01722 333306
Facsimile: 01722 332296
Website: www.tpos.co.uk
E-Mail: admin@tpos.co.uk
Companies registered with the scheme
A full list of companies registered with the PCCB is available here.