The Property Ombudsman Arvostelua 389

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend choosing a letting agent because they are a member the of the property ombudsman. If you raise a complaint against the Letring agent with the ombudsman, they are very quick to close a ticket without contacting you to truly understand what the core issue is. In my case the letting agent was abusing the contract terms but the ombudsman closed my ticket on a technicality and no one actually directly spoke to me to find out what the core issue was. And clearly being a member of the ombudsman and abiding by their code of conduct doesn't mean anything if the ombudsman doesn't enforce those rules. Very disappointed.

Take my advice and go direct to small claims / the true legal route.

This "company" is not a government body. They are funded by and work in the vested interests of their members (allegedly). They do not seem to care if their own members have broken the law or misrepresented / obfuscated facts, all they will do is disagree and then (quite rudely) dismiss the claims of the case.

The worst part of this is that they continuously extend deadlines and keep VICTIMS waiting in exactly the same manner as the offending parties. They delayed my case for months which was seemingly purposeful to wear me down (allegedly). Their remediation and appeals process is also a joke and every written response was negative and dismissive in tone. This is not like a government operated ombudsman, but it needs to be and we will push for it in parliament.

William H Brown and I Am Sold diddled me out of my LIFE SAVINGS and they would not offer even a penny of recompense - even with 3rd party evidence. The whole thing is an exercise in psychological manipulation, TORTURE and time wasting.

What an appalling process to go through, from a huge lack of timescale, communication, knowledge and genuinely a poor experience after reporting such a straight forward problem.

TPO decided to take the information that the agent relayed to them which was factually inaccurate relating to removal of goods the day before completion, the agent advised it was the day before exchange, hence they based their decision on this information.

This has taken 6 months to get to this point.

After a poor repose email from my following up it's juts left a very poor taste in my mouth and what is the point of this service in the first place if they don't listen or accept the factual evidence provided!!

It's shocking, absolutely shocking!

As others have said, this is a totally corrupt service that is biased in favour of its paying member agents. I was surprised to be given a peanuts award by the adjudicator and her reasoning made no sense so I asked to see the emails the agent had sent her. Firstly the TPO let the agent send in WORD documents instead of original emails and secondly, and much more seriously, the agents emails had deliberately ADDED one whole new email from them and DELETED one whole original email from us, the complainant. This is FRAUD and a deliberate attempt to corrupt the complaints process. I told TPO this but they have repeatedly and laughably denied the agent's emails have been faked, despite the fact that any monkey can see that this is true :D It is beyond a joke. I'm writing to the government department responsible for this corrupt organisation. and KEYWEST in LEICESTER are the agents committing this FRAUD. Avoid them at all costs.

Polygon Management Company Limited’s experience of The Property Ombudsman Service was deeply troubling.

This was a business complaint concerning serious management and complaint-handling failures by one of its member agents. The complaint raised substantive issues about missing records, unsupported assertions, continuing non-response, ongoing prejudice, and a failure to deal properly with formal complaints. TPO reduced that complaint to something far narrower and safer, then treated a token £100 offer as “fair and reasonable” without giving any proper or transparent explanation of how that conclusion had been reached.

What followed was worse. When the reasoning was challenged and the basic decision-record material was requested so the outcome could be properly understood and tested, TPO refused to engage in any meaningful way. When formal pre-action correspondence was then sent, the response was effectively that there would be no further engagement unless proceedings were issued.

That is not the conduct of a body that inspires confidence as an independent ombudsman. It is the conduct of an organisation acting as a buffer between member businesses and proper scrutiny.

In PMC’s experience, TPO was opaque, dismissive, evasive and institutionally unwilling to examine either the member’s failings or its own. It presented the appearance of accountability without delivering the substance of it.

Businesses and consumers alike should think very carefully before placing reliance on this private company as a genuine route to redress. In PMC’s experience, this is not a body fit to hold itself out as an effective ombudsman service and should not exist.

Took around 5 months for my case to be evaluated. I was then told that because the agent had 'made a fair and reasonable offer' they could not consider my complaint.

What actually happened was that they contacted the agent BEFORE me, and told him that if he offered me £350 they would consider this to be fair and reasonable.... and on that basis they then concluded that they could not consider my complaint further.

This is a sham. The £350 is an insult to the distress that I suffered.

It is clear from reading through these reviews that this is an organisation that is not fit for purpose. It's actions ENABLE agents to provide a poor level of service with very little come back for the consumer. The financial rewards are an insult and a joke.

TPO: you are swamped with complaints because some within the industry provide a poor service - consumers expect a better service for the money they pay. There is no incentive for agents to deliver a high quality service if your awards are limited to a couple of hundred pounds. This is not a service that meets the needs of the people who use it and the industry suffers as there is no incentive to do better.

Please do not offer to 'explain the outcome' to me - I get it and in my view it's appalling. I am more interested in why you're not working to improve industry standards and drive up consumer satisfaction. Too radical??

It took many months for an adjudication which was entirely toothless and pointless. A total waste of time - really - do not bother.

I am an 84-year-old consumer, and my experience with The Property Ombudsman (Case Ref: 15562) regarding a 5-bedroom misrepresentation in Torquay has been a masterclass in bureaucratic incompetence. This case has been handled with total inconsistency:

1. The Initial Refusal: This case was originally turned down.
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2. The Reopening: Upon challenge, the TPO admitted a mistake and reopened the case, acknowledging its validity.
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3. The Evaluation Promise: On 18 March 2026, I was formally confirmed in writing that the case was being referred to the Evaluation Team for a full assessment.
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4. The Retroactive Refusal: On 13 April 2026, the Assessment Team issued yet another summary refusal, citing a "12-month rule" that was visible from the very first day.

You cannot turn a case down, admit a mistake by reopening it, promise a full Evaluation, and then retroactively "un-open" it weeks later based on a timeline you already waived. This is a gross procedural failure that undermines the entire integrity of the Ombudsman’s service.

The TPO is actively ignoring professional evidence—including a Surveyor’s Report explicitly classifying the property as 5 bedrooms—in favor of protecting an agent’s deceptive marketing.

ADVICE TO ALL CONSUMERS: If the TPO gives you the runaround or ignores your professional evidence, do not accept their excuses. Contact your local MP immediately. I have already briefed my local MP on this systemic failure and the TPO’s refusal to uphold its own Code of Practice. When an MP gets involved, the Ombudsman is forced to answer for its procedural chaos. Don't let them silence you—demand a redesign of this broken system.

Hopeless and corrupt even when presented with evidence of wrongdoing by the letting agency they still side with them. A completely pointless ombudsman.

My Friends, be warned, I’ll prove how TPO cheats on you. They base their resolutions on what they call “terms of reference”. They don’t show them to you in advance, they only defend erroneous resolutions by referring to them when the matter is closed. Even then they refuse you a copy, tell you to look in internet !
Article 10 f or 10.6 says…..The Ombudsman shall only consider, or continue to consider, a dispute if they are satisfied that the act or omission giving rise to the dispute first occurred or could reasonably have come to the notice of the Complainant, not more than twelve months before the Complainant first made their complaint in writing to the Member.
If the firm cheated on you for 10 years, and you didn’t realize, the fault is whitewashed. Worse, this is a free license to continue cheating forever. This shows clear bias against the claimant.
In my case, 8 years of charging me for Rent Guarantee without taking out the insurance, some £5000 plus interest. TPO awarded me £185.
The proof presented was a letter from the firm stating explicitly how much I was paying for this service, (mixed in with general fees). Further proof, when I enquired about this, they took out the insurance 5 days later and replied that the insurance was active ! Further proof, the firm offered me £185 in compensation for the error, which I refused.
My friends, be warned, TPO is a mockery of justice, here is the evidence. Now, TPO itself must pay me the compensation, it will not rest here.
Neil Callwood

My friends…. Writing two weeks later,…. The firm has now argued as follows, I quote “”the information available indicates that you were aware, or reasonably ought to have been aware, of the matter more than 12 months before you raised your complaint with the agent. In those circumstances, the time limit applies.”” Of course, if I was aware of it and did nothing, then I have little or nothing to claim now. But can anyone reasonably believe that I was aware that they were stealing from me and I did nothing for 8 years ?
I saw that they were charging me for the insurance, every month, so I assumed that all was OK. How was I to know that they hadn’t taken out the policy ? That they were taking my money for no service given.
One puts their trust in the chosen professional, I put my trust until one day they offered me the very service that I was already paying for !! When I asked why, they immediately took out the insurance, but I only discovered three months later that there had been no policy for the previous 8 years !!
Common law is based on logic and reasonableness. TPO's article 27 obliges them to respect the law. That I was aware of the matter is illogical and unreasonable. So it must be assumed by all that I wasn’t aware. I will hold TPO responsible for this enormous miscarriage of justice….. …
However, the main point here is not my own personal case, it’s article 10.6 which is illegal and immoral, for so many cases dismissed as a result of this article. Common law says that the fault is not pardoned by the passing of time; this article is illegal. It also clearly shows bias in favour of the firm.
I invite TPO to answer this matter here, for all of us to see. Neil

Reply to TOP on 8 April 2026:
Ref:116012\TPO

Thank you for your response. However, I have no further questions.

What is most concerning is not simply the outcome, but the way the case was handled. It is deeply disappointing that an organisation such as TPO appears to tolerate such incompetence and a clearly biased approach to reviewing complaints. The process took almost a year, during which I invested significant time gathering and presenting evidence—only for it to be largely ignored.

This experience has been frustrating, unfair, and ultimately a complete waste of time. Based on how my case was managed, I would strongly advise others to avoid using this service.
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Were it possible to award no stars, I would have done so.

I am extremely disappointed with the way TPO handled my complaint. In my case, TPO required my daughter’s complaint to be joined with mine rather than treating each case separately on its own facts. From the start, that made the process feel unfair and prejudicial.

The main issues I raised were not properly addressed. I pointed out specific facts and concerns, but these were either overlooked or not given the weight they deserved. Instead, the agent’s version of events appeared to be accepted too readily, without the same level of scrutiny being applied to what I had submitted. That left me with the clear impression that the process was one-sided.

I was also very concerned that TPO accepted a letter as evidence even though it was not, in my view, proper independent third-party evidence. A document of that kind could potentially have been produced by anyone, yet it seems to have been relied on while the points I raised were discounted. That seriously undermined my confidence in the fairness and reliability of the process.

Overall, the experience felt unfair, biased, and ultimately a waste of time. I took the time to explain the facts and identify the issues clearly, expecting a balanced and impartial review. Instead, I came away feeling ignored, unheard, and deeply dissatisfied with both the process and the outcome.

Extremely disappointed with TPO. I submitted my complaint in my own name, yet my case was joined with my mother’s without proper notice, and I never received any email from TPO informing me of this. That alone made the process feel unfair and lacking in transparency.

The facts and issues I raised were not properly addressed, while the agent’s version of events appeared to be accepted far too readily. I was also very concerned that TPO accepted a letter which was not, in my view, proper independent third-party evidence and could potentially have been produced by anyone. Despite trying to contact TPO, my emails were ignored, which only added to my frustration.

Even where failings by the agent were acknowledged, the outcome did not reflect the seriousness of what had happened. Overall, I found the process unfair, biased, and a complete waste of time (almost 1 year). I was left feeling ignored, unheard, and deeply dissatisfied.

Not the best professional service I have ever had.
TPO accepted the property management complaint resolution, even though the property management resolution was not effective and did not work - but of course the TPO have accepted this decision with open arms.
I raised a complaint with the TPO about this, but they said I couldn’t raise a complaint because I didn’t go to stage one and stage two of their complaint system. But they didn’t allow me to go to stage one and stage two - so I could not do it : so I could not raise a complaint. That’s convenient!
Extremely upsetting and distressing experience dealing with TPO. If you look at their reviews on this site, the one star section is a long red bar of dissatisfaction. No surprises there.

As I’m typing emails to TPO, I know they’re not going to be responded to : and maybe even deleted. This is extremely disturbing when this happens.

A public mediation body should not be acting like this. They are not fit for purpose.

It took the TPO over a year to assess my complaint. Communication was poor throughout, with no meaningful updates and no reliable notification of the final outcome, leaving me unable to respond in time.
Key aspects of my complaint were not properly understood or considered, which affected the fairness of the assessment.
I then made a formal complaint about how my complaint was handled but, again, the TPO did not address the issues raised.
Overall, the process lacked timeliness, transparency, and thoroughness and, in my view, highlights the need for significant improvement in how complaints are handled. It also important to note from a customer perspective, that the TPO is funded by the firms it oversees .

I have no trust at all in this service. My experience with a complaint about an estate agent was that they had no interest in achieving a fair resolution.

So the Property Ombudsman wants me to reach out to discuss, but doesn’t say how. Typical. They have the information provided on my original complaint, plus additional info I supplied to the adjudicator and they still found in favour of their paymasters. Give me an email address to contact you on.

A 'Chocolate Kettle' of a Resolution

"The TPO admitted I was misled by a representative who told me I owed nothing. Their 'resolution'? An award of £100—which they then immediately 'offset' against the very debt I was told didn't exist. It’s a masterclass in bureaucratic circular logic: being compensated with your own disputed money. If you're looking for common sense, keep looking. If you're looking for an automated system that sends reminders at 9:30 PM for emails it already received at 4:00 PM, you’ve found the right place."

I had an extremely disappointing experience with The Property Ombudsman.

When dealing with complex disputes, it often comes down to whether your case is handled by someone who is genuinely engaged with their work, or by someone whose priority appears to be closing files as quickly as possible to reduce their workload. Unfortunately, in my case, it felt very much like the latter.

A substantial complaint was submitted with extensive supporting evidence. However, only a small portion of the issues raised were considered. The Ombudsman focused exclusively on the elements they claimed fell outside their remit and, in doing so, effectively ignored the other parts of the complaint which clearly concerned matters that do fall within their remit.

This issue was raised again when the matter was escalated internally. However, the final decision repeated the same approach and again failed to address the other substantive points that had been raised – despite extensive supporting evidence. None of these points were acknowledged or commented upon in the decision at all, despite the extensive supporting evidence provided.

I was also surprised by the tone of some of the correspondence. There were repeated references to how I “felt” about the situation, as well as a remark about complainants using AI when drafting complaints. Comments like this are unnecessary, inappropriate, and somewhat patronising. People may use writing tools for many legitimate reasons, including accessibility needs, language support, or communication difficulties. The substance of a complaint should be assessed on its merits, not on assumptions about how it was written.

More broadly, the process gave the impression that the priority was to identify reasons not to investigate rather than to engage with the substance of the complaint.

It is also worth noting that the Ombudsman often responds to negative Trustpilot reviews asking users to provide further details so the matter can be looked into. While this may create the appearance that concerns are taken seriously, in my experience this felt largely like a façade. Despite submitting detailed evidence and engaging fully with the formal complaints process, the key issues raised were never meaningfully addressed.

I will now pursue a formal service complaint against The Property Ombudsman and hope that this time the matter will be reviewed by someone genuinely committed to examining the concerns raised, rather than simply finding reasons not to investigate them.

It’s interesting to see that the Ombudsman office seems to spend more time responding to TrustPilot reviews than actually answering complaints about estate agents. It’s been 5 months since I raised my complaint and 4 months since the office accepted it and said they would get back to me. Is there an ombuds office to complain about the service of the ombuds orifice. A total waste of time. Close it down.

I’d rate 0 if I could at this point!
I contacted TPOS last year after a shockingly bad experience with an estate agent (O Riordan Bond in Northampton), responsible for selling my house.
The initial contact seemed positive and the team were helpful and gave me confidence that they would investigate my concerns in an unbiased way and provide me a response. This hasn’t happened, back in October I submitted countless details, information and evidence relating to my case… which they ‘never received’ and therefore made a decision to rule in the favour of the estate agent - despite ignoring more than 80% of the evidence. I pointed out their error and sent countless different documents to prove that they HAD received the evidence (delivery receipts, email responses, read receipts), and to highlight that there was an issue with their systems.

They contacted me in January, after months of chasing, admitting that they had ‘technical issues’ and hadn’t seen my emails from October, November, December or January (which seems incredibly unlikely as I had delivery and read receipts for them all!) and assured me that they would review everything and get back to me within a week.

An Adjudicator and a Manager / Supervisor who contacted me have displayed nothing but incompetence, ignorance and incredibly poor customer service. With both promising that they would respond within a week, that they would look into things, that they were ‘sorry’ that they had missed previous messages, which seems very strange as some emails deliver without an issue and others (the ones that really matter!) get lost along the way!

I have now sent 17 messages, all delivered and all read, 2 have been acknowledged with a promise of a response, then nothing.

It’s really disappointing as Estate Agents are not regulated in the way they should be, which allows this peculiar ‘Boys Club’ mentality in some, and I had hoped that TPOS was an independent, unbiased, supportive organisation when customers had nowhere else to turn. I don’t want financial gain from this, I simply wanted a poor estate agent to be be held accountable for their actions and to ensure that nobody else had a similar service.

I would honestly save yourself the additional stress caused by trying to interact with this ‘Ombudsman’ as sadly it’s really not worth the time, energy or effort as they selectively pick which of your evidence and communication they respond to.

Really disappointing.