Complaints about lettings agents on the rise

Complaints about estate agents to the Property Ombudsman Scheme (TPOS) are on the rise and are expected to increase further by the end of the year.

Calls to complain about agents rose to 129 a week, which equals to around four an hour in the three months to the end of September, the property ombudsman Christopher Harmer said.

The figure has almost doubled from the 77 complaints per week recorded this time last year and is the highest number since lettings agents joined the scheme in 2006.

Common complaints from landlords included agents' failure to adequately assess tenants' suitability by properly checking references and a lack of frequent inspections on rented property.

Potential tenants also made a number of calls to complain about how agents were not properly explaining that holding deposits are non-refundable.

Despite the recent increase, enquiries to the ombudsman are down 32 per cent overall compared to last year, a figure that Mr Harmer suggests is a reflection on the current depressed market.

TPOS is a free, impartial service available to landlords and members of the public in need of advice when in dispute with estate agents. They have the power to award compensation of up to £25,000 in some cases.

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