Oxford Homes Direct becomes an approved trader with the Consumer Code
Approval Scheme
Members
of The Property Ombudsman scheme celebrate their Sales Code approval with the
Trading Standards Institute
As a member of the UK’s largest property ombudsman scheme, Oxford Homes
Direct is one of 11,745 residential sales agents that have signed up
to TPO’s Sales Code of Practice.
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has now become the first
property organisation to have a Code of Practice approved by The Trading
Standard Institute (TSI) under their Consumer Code Approval Scheme.
More than 95 percent of the residential sales market is
signed up to TPO’s Sales Code of Practice and redress service, which is a free, independent and
impartial dispute resolution service for consumers.
This news means all home owners and buyers using Oxford Homes
Directs services in Oxford are all
covered by TPO’s Sales Code of Practice.
Oxford
Homes Direct is now listed on TSI’s online directory
of approved traders. Consumers
will be able to look for TPO sales agents through TSI’s dedicated database on www.tradingstandards.gov.uk and through the
Citizens Advice Bureau’s website, to find a member of an approved code
in their area.
TPO sales
agents will now be able to display the TSI Approved Code logo in their advertising,
branches and within company literature[i].
Confirming
the news, Property Ombudsman Christopher Hamer said:
“I am delighted that TPO has become the largest organisation
to win approval from TSI for its Consumer Code Approval Scheme. The TPO Code is
a recognised set of standards throughout the industry but it is important that
it is also seen as being independently approved by a
credible organisation.
“With the OFT’s withdrawal from the code approval process it
is good news that TSI have stepped in to fulfil the important role of rigorous
examination and approval for consumer-focussed codes.”
Mr Hamer added: “This news means that agents who are members
of TPO actively offer the highest level of consumer protection for buyers and
sellers. We are in active discussions with TSI to achieve scheme
approval for the Lettings Code of Practice.”
Simon Bayliss, Owner, Oxford Homes Direct said: “I
very much welcome the news & this is a very good move toward raising
standards, & improving consumer confidence when using Estate Agents.”
Citizens
Advice Chief Executive Gillian Guy said: “We deal with over a million consumer
problems each year and know how difficult it is for people to find a seller
they can trust, the Approved Trader Scheme will help to combat this.”
TPO is among
the first trade bodies sponsoring the new code and has also become the largest
organisation to be accredited by the scheme since it replaced the Office of
Fair Trading’s scheme earlier this year. There are now with 26,530 approved traders
signed up to one of the ten codes of practice.
TPO joins: British
Association of Removers, British Healthcare Trades Association, Debt Managers
Standards Association, Institute of Professional Will Writers, Motor Codes Ltd,
Renewable Energy Assurance Ltd, Robert Bosch Ltd, The Carpet Foundation and
Vehicle Builders Repairers Association Ltd.
ENDS
Notes to the editor:
Trading Standards Institute (TSI)
TSI is a training and membership
organisation that has represented the interests of the Trading Standards
profession since 1881 nationally and internationally. It aims to raise the profile of the
profession while working towards fairer, better informed and safer consumer and
business communities.
TSI’s members are engaged in delivering
frontline trading standards services in local authorities and in
businesses.
The Trading Standards Institute also
hosts the UK European Consumer Centre (UK ECC) which provides consumer advice
with regards to cross border disputes within the EU and also the European
Consumer Centre Service (ECCS).
What is The Property Ombudsman (TPO)?
The Property Ombudsman scheme has been offering a free,
independent and impartial dispute resolution service to consumers who are
dissatisfied with the service provided by registered firms since 1990. The
Ombudsman can provide redress to place the consumer back in the position they
occupied before the complaint arose to achieve a full and final settlement of
the dispute and all claims made by either party. Where appropriate, the
Ombudsman can make compensatory awards in individual cases up to a maximum of
£25,000 for actual and quantifiable loss and / or for aggravation, distress and
inconvenience caused by the actions of a registered firm.
The
Property Ombudsman currently provides redress for consumers using 25,500
offices in the UK (inc. 11,745 residential sales estate agency branches and 10,391
residential lettings offices).
Independence
Whilst TPO charges registered firms an annual subscription, the
Ombudsman is accountable to the TPO Council, the majority of which is made up
of non-industry members. The Council appoints the Ombudsman and sets his Terms
of Reference (i.e. how the complaint process operates). The Ombudsman is
required to report to the Council on a regular basis.
The Ombudsman is not a regulator and does not have the authority
to take regulatory or legal action against a registered firm. However, member
firms can be referred to the TPO Disciplinary and Standards Committee,
appointed by the Council, which has the power to expel firms from the scheme
and / or report them to the Office of Fair Trading, which has the ability to
ban firms from carrying out estate agency business.
Further information
The Ombudsman’s Terms of Reference, the Codes of Practice, Consumer
Guides and other documents about the operation of the scheme are available on
our website (www.tpos.co.uk), together with previous annual and interim reports, further
explanation of governance arrangements and a full list of registered firms.
For press information, please contact:
Gemma
Stacey
Press
& Communications Manager
The
Property Ombudsman Limited
M:
07415 684548
[i]
Use of the TSI approved logo is strictly limited to TPO Sales Agents only and
subject to specific conditions detailed on the TPO website. TPO will be issuing
full guidance to individual agents as to the conditions of display of the TSI
logo and will be producing new window stickers this month.
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