New legislative changes will make it a legal requirement for all letting agents to register with a redress scheme.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has approved The Property Ombudsman (TPO) to provide a free and independent redress service to landlords and tenants as part of new legislative changes affecting letting agents.
Today’s announcement by Housing Minister Kris Hopkins follows the government’s decision to make it a legal requirement for all letting agents and property management agents in England to be a member of an approved redress scheme. It is expected that this legal obligation will come into effect later this year.
To date, more than 11,000 letting agents have already registered with TPO and are voluntarily following the standards outlined in TPO’s Lettings Code of Practice, which enables consumers who are dissatisfied with the service provided by registered firms to have their complaints independently investigated and reviewed by the Ombudsman. See http://www.tpos.co.uk/news-14.htm