Whether you are a Landlord or Tenant, by utilising the services of a regulated and accredited letting agency you should have no doubt that you will receive far greater protection than an agent that is not accredited. Whilst some things such as the Client Deposit Protection Scheme is now law (as of April 2019) there are other accreditations we have that many others agents don’t have.
A report by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) from 2018 found that in the past five years more than half of those who bought, sold or rented a home had problems with their agent. It also found that the majority failed to check whether their chosen agent was a member of a professional body, which may have contributed to the issues they subsequently faced.
At Belvoir, our array of accreditations show our commitment to our landlords and tenants and to instill confidence that we are a professional and well respected agent. Property Ombudsman – The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is a government approved scheme to provide independent redress in relation to disputes between consumers and property agents.
Property Ombudsman
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is a government approved scheme to provide independent redress in relation to disputes between consumers and property agents.
The Ombudsman’s resolutions are designed to achieve a full and final settlement of the dispute and all claims made by either party. The Ombudsman can, where appropriate, make compensatory awards in individual cases up to a maximum of £25,000 for actual and quantifiable loss and/or for aggravation, distress and/or inconvenience caused by the actions of an agent.
By abiding to the TPO Codes of Practice, licensed members like Belvoir are working to higher professional standards than those that are currently required within the industry, setting them apart from their competitors. TPO’s resolutions are designed to achieve a full and final settlement of a dispute and all claims made by either party
Propertymark
Propertymark is the UK’s leading, not for profit accreditation scheme for lettings and management agents. Previously known as The Propertymark Scheme (Propertymark) with the backing of the industry, the aim was to establish a single badge for consumers to look for and understand. Propertymark accredited agents offer service and protection through adherence to strict accreditation criteria.
Propertymark are recognised by Government, consumer groups and industry bodies and are the only agent organisation whose sole focus is consumer protection, operating across the UK on a not-for-profit basis.
Tenants and landlords can have confidence in Propertymark firms such as Belvoir because they have agreed to:
- Meet defined standards of customer service
- Be part of a Client Money Protection Scheme
- Have a written customer complaints procedure available on request offering adjudication through a redress scheme
- Have current Professional Indemnity Insurance
- Hold a dedicated client bank account designated as only holding clients money
- Commit to an annual independent inspection of their client accounting procedures
ARLA
Arla protects consumers and their money by holding their members accountable and empowering customers with knowledge and advice. ARLA aim to reassure all of those renting and letting out property that agents who display the ARLA Propertymark Protected logo (such as ourselves) offer a better service and financial protection for their clients than the alternative.
DPS
DPS keep deposit money safe for letting agents, landlords and tenants. They are authorised by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to provide tenancy deposit protection in England and Wales.We are part of the DPS scheme and our clients can rest assured that their deposit money is always safe.
