The Property Ombudsman Reviews 394

They did nothing, just read the lies in the letter from the estate agents and didn't allow me to send the evidence that disproved this.

Update : the use of a generic reply is constant with TPO. The property ombudsman I have no idea what the whole point is if having a redress scheme. Filed a complaint last year and I'm still waiting to hear back. The agent continues to harass, manipulate and go against our contract simply because there's nothing to stop them. When TPO finally decide to act we'll get a written apology from the agent compared to 8 months of harassment.

It's an inconvenience for them to handle illegal activity for them. Explains why the estate agents breach the law as the Property Ombudsman don't care as it is a job not a service. Absolute ludicrous function. Ombudsman a check list for some compliance so they pick and choose easy stuff.

Does TPOS actually have any standards?

In my opinion, TPOS does not have any standards. If it did, FirstPort would not be a member.

1. FirstPort has a trustpilot rating of 2.0 out of 5, meaning it is POOR. This rating is based on 18.9k reviews.
2. There is a facebook group called "Firstport Residents Action Group". This group has over 10k members whose lives have negatively impacted by FP.
3. In late 2024 57 MPs (across the three leading UK political parties) wrote to the FirstPort CEO asking him to attend Parliament to answer questions.

I look forward to hearing your response.

I have had reason to refer to TPOS regarding a dispute with an estate agent in Liverpool.
I agree , the delay in response is frustrating , however, I kept in touch regularly and was always dealt with politely despite there being no definitive date for adjudication.
I have had notification today after 18 months that my complaint has been upheld and TPOS have dealt with the Estate agent and I have no fees to pay.
My experience of dealing with TPOS has been very positive, the estate agents failed to comply with the TPOS code of conduct and their behaviours were at times bullying and threatening using debt collection agencies and solicitors to threaten legal action.
I provided details of all communications to TPOS and have a positive result.
I would advise send TPOS as much evidence as possible and trust them to deal fairly with your issues,

My case was very well handled by someone who obviously had experience in their field and was able to advise on the wisest and most balanced course for my circumstances.
The advisor valued my opinion and was very sympathetic but was also diplomatic when explaining my options when what I wished to achieve was not possible.
The TPO has certain boundaries they have to adhere to. If you are willing to accept this (no matter how frustrating your case!) then you can trust them to assist you to get the best outcome possible.

Tried to seek some general advice from them
A few months ago.
Completely useless, the woman I spoke to was
Falling asleep on the phone.
When I asked if they knew of the agent I was concerned about, she refused to say.
I except it’s not possible to please everyone
But there reviews are appalling.

.
This is yet another organisation that needs to be closed down, and the quicker the better.
My advice to all is flood you local mp with your
Complaints as regards the ombudsman.

Mac

Sorry it’s really a complete waste of time to contact you any further.
Your reviews show a system that is very
Questionable in the way it works.
The only time that you do respond is
When your flaged up on Trustpilot.

Mc

So far so bad. I raised an issue with them and I'm still waiting for a response, 12 months later. I have politely requested an update on several occasions only to be repeatedly told that they are yet to pass the case to an adjudicator. I'm not confident that we will even get a response in the next 12 months. I cannot see any use in referring matters to this body. I suggest people take legal action instead and cut this useless organisation out of the equation.

Very helpful and informative service. Friendly and customer focused team. Although we did not have a positive outcome our assigned adjudicator was very professional and knowledgeable.

This is an honest review of our experience with TPO who we asked to escalate our complaint against Goodman & Lilley Estate Agents, Henleaze branch in Bristol. This matter relates to our aborted sale back in August 2023 where, in our view, Goodman & Lilley were negligent in advising us at any point that our proposed buyer had suddenly stopped all communication with the branch the moment his offer was accepted. He also failed to formally instruct his solicitor which again we were not made aware of until mid-October. This was a massive “red flag” in our opinion and yet they withheld this crucial information from us for 10 weeks, and instead bounced around their growing concerns just between themselves. We lost valuable time in relisting our property before the autumn/winter months set it and house prices dropped. After failing to get a satisfactory resolution with them, we submitted our complaint to TPO in June 2024. We were kept advised by TPO about the long delays we would likely be experiencing whilst they investigated what happened, due to their heavy workloads. However, we achieved a settlement by way of compensation from Goodman & Lilley on 17 December 2024. We would have liked a little more openness in terms of what TPO’s findings actually were (and whether they mirrored our own), rather than simply stating they “identified various shortcomings in their service” which was vague. However, all parties agreed that communication with us could have been better. We are happy with the outcome and it was reassuring that TPO upheld (elements) of our dispute. We are grateful we had DELISE GREGORY represent us, who helped us achieve financial compensation for the immense stress we suffered as a result of our dire experiences with this estate agent.

The worst receptionist I've ever encountered on a real estate agency. Whoever was on the shift 8th Jan at around 12:45 should be embarrassed with their costumer service, because none was provided.

... Whatever it is, whoever was on the phone for YOUR company wasn't good.

On going dispute with purple bricks about terrible service and overcharging fee adjudicator ruled in their favour of service but did not investigate overcharged fee lack of invoice or other evidence from purple bricks to send to me.
Stated that I could resolve fees for house sale with purple bricks when they was suppose to investigate this as part of my complaint .
I have emailed adjudicator about this .

Complete waste of Time I followed there guidance but they still acted bias towards their paying member.

Last year, we purchased a property only to discover inventory was missing and there were damages. Despite our appeals to the Property Ombudsman, we felt that they did not render a fair and honest decision, with shortcomings in addressing the missing inventory and damages.
It is a completely corrupt and ineffective organization. Every dissatisfied consumer should approach their MPs to advocate for the abolition of this ombudsman, it is merely a waste of time and gives people false. Most customers are unhappy with them they consistently side with the property management companies. I am also contemplating writing a news article for Yahoo to inform the public the shortcomings of this institution.

ZERO STARS! I even contacted the CEO for the Property Ombudsman... a complete waste of time as of course they sided with the surveyor! It doesn't matter how much proof you have, (and I have all the proof needed, including photographs) they twist everything in favour of the companies and not the individuals who have been affected.
THEIR RESPONCES TO REVIEWS ARE ALSO A WASTE OF TIME.

This company is failing the consumer and supports
its members, we need regulation within the property
market To protect the consumer, of which there is none at present, failing the public and not protecting them from your members in the majority of cases with meager compensation awards. This implies that TPO falls short of its rhetoric. In certain situations, the TPO addresses the effect rather than the underlying cause by permitting its members to carry on trading and causing havoc with more consumers.
In 2023, 83% of accepted cases were found in favour of the consumer. but you award meager compensation you take no action against your members and allow them to continue in Simple, the TPO does not walk the talk you need shut down

A complete waste of time. The estate agent allowed the vendor to market their property with no onward chain to command a quick sale, then once the conveyancing and survery was done at a cost of £1.6k, the vendor managed to conveniently (I mean within a day or so!) get themselves in a chain. The Property Ombudsman will have you wait for six months, then side with the estate agent that funds them! Please read the other reviews. This organisation is a farce and proper regulation of dodgy estate agents is required.

There is truely no point complaining to The Property Ombudsman. Having been almost made homeless and incurred costs over £1,000 due to the letting agent's misleading and poor communication, they thought £150 was fair compensation.

It felt as if they took no evidence into consideration and just automatically side with the letting agent, despite email chains and call logs demonstrating the descrepencies.

There is no point in an independent body that's supposed to hold letting agencies to account, if they simply write off a massive problem as a small oopsie.

We had a problem with an estate agent who caused us financial loss due to him not adhering to The Property Ombudsman’s Code Of Practice. The agent tried all sorts of tactics to get out of reimbursing us, insisting that he had done nothing wrong. He even said he had spoken to his insurers and TPO who, according to him, backed him up. We wanted to put our case to TPO as we wanted them to have the full facts. It is a long process. It took nearly a year for our case to be reviewed and then passed to an adjudicator, due to the sheer amount of complaints that they have to deal with. It was worth the wait. TPO agreed we had suffered a financial loss through no fault of ours and the agent had to reimburse all of our costs incurred plus an extra award for aggravation. It was found that the agent had failed to comply with two counts of the code of practice. TPO are fair and impartial and in our case, helped us deal with an agent that had no scruples and would not own his mistake. I would urge anyone to persevere even though it will take time. People tend to do reviews if they are unhappy. Our experience with TPO was slow but excellent. We are so grateful to them.

Having yesterday received a less than impressive phone call from the TPO telling us that they were not able to put forward a case in which our management company has failed to fix a roof that leaks like a sieve following the collapse due to water ingress of the ceiling 15 months ago we felt devastated. Having though just read all the reviews on yours and other sites it is clear that we should not be surprised. In short the TPO is not fit for purpose and this needs flagging up at the highest level. Utterly shameful!