Monsoon Properties
TPO supported a complaint and awarded £2,000 after the company failed to return vacant possession to a landlord as requested at the end of a guaranteed rent agreement.
As a result, the landlord was left with a tenant in situ, paying a sum below market rate, for over 14 months beyond the end of the fixed term of the rent guarantee agreement.
Monsoon Properties had not issued possession proceedings that were expressly referred to in their terms of business. The agent had set up a payment plan to the landlord but only two of the eight instalments were made.
Seven agents expelled from The Property Ombudsman
As per the strict processes put in place by The Property Ombudsman (TPO), the agents were referred to the TPO’s independent Compliance Committee, which ruled they should be expelled with most failing to pay compensatory rewards.
Prinsegate Chartered Surveyors
TPO supported five issues raised by a consumer against Prinsegate, finding the survey report presented several significant issues.
The surveyor neglected to assign condition ratings to individual elements, leaving their opinions on the condition of each element unclear. The company then recommended further investigations or confirmation of findings for nearly all elements, even in the absence of identified issues.
The report was inconsistent and caused unnecessary confusion as well as including costings for work that was not a viable option for the property.
TPO awarded the cost of the survey back to the complainant by making an award of £890.
Further investigations to take place
Rebecca Marsh, The Property Ombudsman, stated that the decrease in the number of agents being referred to the Compliance Committee was encouraging, and it demonstrated the ongoing effectiveness of TPO.
As part of TPO’s compliance process, notification of expulsions is shared with all relevant bodies, including both local and national Trading Standards for further investigation, as well as all property portals.
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