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All references to the masculine include the feminine.

Welcome to The Property Ombudsman

OEA becomes the TPOS

Name change marks boost to consumer protection in property sector

The broader scope of the Ombudsman for Estate Agents scheme sees it changing to The Property Ombudsman Service (TPOS) on May 1 2009.

Old Ombudsman for Estate Agents (OEA) logo and new The Property Ombudsman (TPO) logo.

There will be a new logo for window displays, in blue with the OFT Approved Codes symbol alongside for sales offices and green without the OFT logo for lettings (see below for new logos). Commercial property sales members will have a black logo when the scheme expands soon to cover some of their activities.

Read full Press Release

Christopher Hamer, The Property Ombudsman

Sales

The Property Ombudsman | Sales My role is to provide fair and reasonable resolutions to disputes between members of the public and estate agents who are members of the TPO Scheme or who have registered with the TPO under the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) Approved Estate Agents Redress Scheme. Firms who are members follow the TPO Code of Practice for Residential Sales, which has been approved by the OFT under the Consumer Codes Approval Scheme.

Lettings

The Property Ombudsman | Lettings The TPO can also resolve disputes referred by landlords or tenants and relating to lettings and management agents that are members of the Scheme. These agents follow the Code of Practice for Letting Agents, for which we are seeking OFT approval, in common with the Code of Practice for Residential Sales.

Note that disputes relating to repayment of deposits paid by tenants and which are protected by an approved Tenancy Deposit Scheme should be referred to the relevant deposit protection scheme.

Ombudsman

My powers allow me to make awards of compensation for financial loss and/or aggravation, distress and inconvenience, where I feel that is appropriate. The service is free of charge for the public.

I am not a regulator or consumer guardian.

This website contains all the information that you need for making a complaint to an agent, bringing the complaint to my office and also provides you with a list of all agents who are members of the TPO Scheme or who are registered with us. If you need any further help or guidance, my staff will be only too pleased to assist you.

Christopher Hamer, The Property Ombudsman