There has been a significant increase in demand for The Property Ombudsman’s (TPO) free redress service, with more than 73,000 consumers seeking support with property-related issues in 2024, up 27% year-on-year, new figures show.
With consumer awareness of incoming legislative changes such as the Renters’ Rights Bill and leasehold reforms, TPO expects demand for the service will likely continue to grow.
Residential lettings was the most common sector for enquiries, with 13,516 consumers contacting us about issues such as repairs, deposits and poor complaint handling.
Some £1.49m was awarded to consumers in total, with 71% of cases formally investigated found in favour of the consumer, the service continues its impartial, fair and reasonable decision making.
Interim Property Ombudsman, Lesley Horton, said: “We are continuing to see increased demand for our service, especially in the private rented and leasehold sectors. Renters and leaseholders have often had problems for months, sometimes years, and access our service when previous attempts to resolve issues have failed. We see this reflected in the complexity of our casework, which is at historic highs.
“There is going to be continued change in the property sector, and we will work to support the success of any reforms, improve best practice in the sector and most importantly, help consumers to navigate and resolve their disputes.“
In residential sales, there was a high level of enquiries and disputes relating to seller issues with a total of £797,031 being awarded in sales cases, and the average award being £561. Factors like uncertain market conditions and the end of the stamp duty holiday in April could drive further complaints in 2025.
Within lettings, £511,583 was awarded to consumers in total, with 49% of complainants being renters and 47% being landlords. The total awarded to consumers in 2024 represents a 84% increase since 2015.
