There should be just one ombudsman covering the whole of the housing market, including both private and social housing sectors plus new homes and builders’ maintenance and repairs.
The call has come from Ombudsman Services: Property in a new report, Building Balance: Restoring power to consumers in the housing sector, out this morning.
The organisation, which is stepping out of the current property redress sector this August but is expected to step back in again when a new regime is in place, held a consultation that revealed consumers find the current system for complaining in the housing sector confusing.
A total of 409 responses came in from tenants, renters, home owners, landlords and those working in the sector.
The majority of problems were to do with new build properties (56% of respondents).
Complaints about agents were far lower – 6% were to do with letting and renting, and 4% to do with estate agents.
Seven in ten found the system for complaining in the housing sector confusing – unsurprising as there are three redress schemes in the private sector, plus the Housing Ombudsman in social housing.
Almost all – 84% – of respondents said there should be a one-stop shop handling complaints across the entire sector.
In his foreword to today’s report, chief ombudsman or Ombudsman Services Lewis Shand Smith says: “Redress works more efficiently when a single ombudsman is in place.”
He says the current system is ineffective and does not provide the protection consumers need.
The report estimates that last year there were 830,920 issues with property, but only around 6.700 complaints were made in total to the four ombudsman schemes.
Of those who did complain, over half (54%) found it hard to get their issue resolved, while 10% did not get their problem resolved at all.
The report calls for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to create a single ombudsman offering a simple, consistent complaints journey, strong regulation and easy access to help and advice for consumers.
The report also calls for the process of tendering for a single ombudsman in the housing sector to begin as soon as possible.
Ombudsman Services: Property, backed by the RICS is thought to be a contender for a single ombudsman role.
TPO, backed by Propertymark, has made it clear that it does not agree with a single ombudsman for the entire sector, but believes there should be only one in the private sector.
The Property Redress Scheme has yet to reveal its hand but is trying to boost its agency membership with the help of NALS.
Housing market needs one regulator, similar to the FCA.
All agents must be qualified.
Anyone with less than 3 years experience should have trainee on their title.
4-9 years experience = Neg
10 plus = Senior Neg
Branch Managers must have 10 plus years of experience in property.
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PPITE
I entered the Estate Agency sector of our industry 26 years ago – at Branch Manager level.
I gained promotion to Area Manager status with the same company within 3 – during which time I also qualified as a Regional Training Manager.
Offered and accepted Directorship with another company in a further 5.
I’m still learning every day.
By rights – that means I’m still a Trainee. The minute I see myself as anything else I’ve lost my foothold on reality.
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That qualification criteria and experience level needs to be extended to the people involved in being an ‘Ombudsman’.
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Sorry, but I’m really not sure where you get your minimum training or length of experience to hold specific roles from?
Or how that should be policed by governments who reshuffle their own staff every other day.
Sajid Javid MP was appointed Home Secretary on 30 April 2018. He was Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government from 8 January 2018 to 29 April 2018, and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from July 2016 to January 2018.
Just one day’s training to hold the minor roll of Home Secretary to one the world’s wealthiest countries!
What old school agents don’t like is new blood entering the arena!
Let’s have less hypocrisy, the public will decide if you’re worthy of being a good agent because we can’t survive without them, and their recommendation.
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TOTALLY AGREE
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I think we need one Ombudsman, with teeth as well as a loud bark, and a Court system just for housing. Serious breaches in housing that resulted in injury/death and need criminal proceedings can be passed straight on to a criminal court from the civil Housing Court.
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