The Property Ombudsman launches 4 consumer guides
The Property Ombudsman has launched four new guides to help consumers buying, letting or selling residential homes.
The four 'Essential Guides' have been compiled to help consumers handle complaints about estate agents. The series of Guides are available to download free from The Property Ombudsman website at
www.tpos.co.uk
The Guides cover the following areas:
- Sales
- Letting
- Guidance for Selling & Buying
- Guidance for Landlords & Tenants
Christopher Hamer is the Property Ombudsman. He states “'I see what causes the most complaints when people fall out with sales and letting agents and quite often it can be over simple misunderstandings,'
'Through these Guides I am trying to help consumers be better equipped for dealing with agents and to be aware of the specific things that they should look out for and where they should perhaps ask more questions of the agent so that they fully understand the service being offered.’
'Agents will say things that they themselves understand but perhaps do not take into account that those they are dealing with will not be equally as enlightened.’
'Consumers are rarely experts in property transactions so I thought it would be helpful if they had some general and easily read guidance to help them understand the potential pitfalls. People can find these guides on my website and should refer to them before entering into a house sale or purchase or the rental market.’
The Property Ombudsman scheme covers 7,908 member firms operating 11,310 residential estate agency sales offices in the UK and 7,756 handling residential lettings. Every residential sales agent in the UK must have a system of redress in place by law but the arrangement is currently voluntary for lettings agents.