Customer promise and the Ombudsman

We believe strongly that if all letting agents were licensed and regulated then

• Customers would receive better service
• Customers would not risk having their rents and deposits stolen by agents, something which is not uncommon in the industry
• The letting industry as a whole would have a better reputation for honesty and professionalism

To that end, we have been members of ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents) and its predecessor (the NAEA) for decades now.

We take compliance seriously and are watertight with all things TDS as regards deposits, Gas Safe records, EPCs, etc, etc.  

We have led the British letting market by putting more staff through voluntary qualifications that any other agent in the UK, relative to company size. So far over 40 of our team have passed the NFoPP Technical Awards in Residential Letting and Management. For context, NFoPP is the parent body for ARLA and stands for the National Federation of Property Professionals.

For you, the customer, we are proud to be part of the Property Ombudsman. This is a neutral, fair redress organisation for when negotiations break down between two parties.

Moving house and letting your house can be a very fraught, emotional process. The combination of high emotions, money and property can be a potent mix and helping to resolve misunderstandings between tenant and landlord is a big part of our job.

We adhere to the Ombudsman's guidelines, which are: 

• We will acknowledge any complaint immediately, and certainly within the 3 days required by the Ombudsman
• We will investigate complaints thoroughly
• We will respond in writing as soon as possible, and certainly within the 15 days required by the Ombudsman
• If the situation is unresolved, a new senior member of staff will investigate and respond within a further 15 day with a 'final' review of the situation.
• If the situation is unresolved, the parties can then take issue with the Ombudsman

Like an insurance policy, we sincerely hope the above process is hardly used, and that's what we have found in recent years.