The Property Ombudsman Scheme: How It Works for Fast Property Sale Complaints

What the Property Ombudsman is — and is not

TPO is a not-for-profit independent company. Its Board has eight non-executive directors and an independent Chair. The Board appoints the Ombudsman and sets the Terms of Reference for the scheme. The Ombudsman’s decisions are made independently of the Board.

TPO is not a regulator. It does not license companies, supervise their conduct, or have the power to impose fines, prosecute businesses, or require them to change how they operate. Its role is to consider individual complaints on their merits and, where a complaint is upheld, to award appropriate redress.

The distinction matters: TPO deals with what has already happened to a specific consumer. It is not a mechanism for preventing bad practice across the sector, and a complaint to TPO does not trigger regulatory action against the company. Where potential breaches of legislation are identified in the course of an investigation, TPO will refer the matter to the appropriate authority — typically Trading Standards.

In 2024, TPO received over 73,000 consumer enquiries and had approximately 38,880 members operating from 19,226 offices and branches across the UK. This scale reflects TPO’s position as the primary redress scheme across estate agency, lettings, and associated property services, including cash house buying.

Which cash house buying companies fall within TPO’s scope

TPO membership for cash house buying companies is separate from the NAPB. A company can be TPO-registered without being an NAPB member, and all NAPB members are required to hold TPO registration as a condition of NAPB membership.

Before pursuing any complaint, confirm TPO registration directly on the TPO website (tpos.co.uk). The presence of a TPO logo on a company’s website is not sufficient — logos can be displayed by non-members or by former members whose registration has lapsed. Always check the live register.

If the company is not TPO-registered, the formal redress route described in this guide is not available. Alternative routes include Trading Standards (for consumer protection law breaches), civil legal action (for financial claims based on breach of contract or misrepresentation), and for suspected fraud, Action Fraud.

What TPO can consider

TPO considers complaints that fall within its Terms of Reference and relate to a TPO member. For cash house buying complaints, the types of issues TPO can consider include:

• Breaches of the TPO Code of Practice for Residential Property Buying Companies
• Breaches of relevant legal obligations, including the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
• Misleading or misrepresentative conduct, including unrealistic timescale claims, misleading offer descriptions, or misrepresentation of the buyer’s status
• Failure to disclose referral arrangements or conflicts of interest
• Unexplained or unjustified late price reductions
• Failure to provide written confirmation of offers, terms, and price changes within the required timescales
• Improper use of lock-in or tie-in agreements, including failure to explain their terms or the effect of Land Registry notices
• Failure to allow sellers to use their own solicitors without penalty
• Failures in the company’s in-house complaints process

What TPO cannot consider

Understanding what TPO cannot do is as important as understanding what it can. TPO cannot:

• Compel a company to complete a sale or reinstate a collapsed transaction at the originally agreed price
• Award compensation for the full difference between the cash offer received and the open market value the seller might have achieved — this is a commercial decision, not a complaint
• Take regulatory or enforcement action against a company or its directors
• Make decisions on potential criminal conduct — this is referred to the police or Trading Standards
• Consider complaints about matters that occurred before the complainant became a client of the company
• Consider complaints submitted more than 12 months after the company’s final view letter
• Consider complaints where court proceedings have been issued or concluded

The most significant practical limitation for cash sale complaints is the first point. A seller who accepted a price of 80% of market value as part of a legitimate (if commercially unattractive) transaction cannot use TPO to recover the 20% gap. TPO considers whether the process was conducted fairly and in accordance with the Code — not whether the commercial terms were favourable.

The complaints process: step by step

Step 1: Complain to the company first

TPO will not accept a complaint until it has been through the company’s own complaints process and either reached the company’s final view, or eight weeks have passed without a satisfactory resolution.

The complaint to the company should be made in writing — email is acceptable and preferable as it creates a dated record. The complaint should set out clearly what happened, which Code provisions are relevant, what the financial or other impact has been, and what outcome the complainant is seeking.

Under the Code, the company must acknowledge the written complaint within 3 working days and provide a formal written outcome within 15 working days. If the complainant remains dissatisfied with the first response, a separate internal review must be completed within a further 15 working days. The company’s final view letter must state that the complainant has the right to refer the matter to TPO within 12 months of that letter.

Step 2: Escalate to TPO

Once the company’s final view has been received (or eight weeks have passed without resolution), the complaint can be submitted to TPO. The submission is made via the TPO website (tpos.co.uk) and is free of charge.

TPO will initially assess whether the complaint falls within its jurisdiction — that is, whether the company is a registered member, whether the complaint is within scope, and whether the timescales for submission have been met. If the complaint is accepted, it is assigned to a case officer.

Step 3: Case officer review

The case officer reviews all documentation submitted by both the complainant and the company and may request additional information from either party. The case officer prepares an assessment of the complaint based on the applicable Code provisions and what is considered fair and reasonable in the circumstances.

Typical processing time from submission to a case officer’s provisional decision is between 30 and 90 days, though complex cases may take longer. TPO aims to resolve the majority of cases without escalation to the Ombudsman.

Step 4: Provisional decision and response

The case officer issues a provisional decision setting out their assessment of the complaint and, where the complaint is upheld in whole or part, an indication of the proposed remedy. Both parties have the opportunity to provide any additional evidence or representations before the decision is finalised.

Step 5: Final decision

Following consideration of any additional evidence, the Ombudsman issues a Final Decision. If the complainant accepts the Final Decision and an award has been made, TPO confirms that the award has been paid by the company. If the complainant does not accept the Final Decision, the complaint is closed at that stage without an award. The Final Decision is binding on the company but not on the complainant — the complainant retains the right to pursue civil legal action if dissatisfied with the outcome.

What awards TPO can make

Where a complaint is upheld, TPO can award redress in several forms:

• Financial compensation for proven financial loss caused by the company’s conduct
• Financial compensation for distress and inconvenience caused by the company’s conduct or failure
• A direction that the company take a specific action, such as returning a deposit or providing documentation
• An apology from the company

The maximum award TPO can make is £25,000. In practice, the vast majority of awards are significantly lower. Published data indicates average payouts across all TPO complaints are typically between £300 and £600. Awards at the higher end of the range are reserved for cases involving significant, demonstrable financial loss directly attributable to the company’s conduct.

Distress and inconvenience awards are made in addition to financial loss awards where the complainant has experienced significant impact beyond the financial. These awards are typically modest but provide acknowledgement where the process has caused harm beyond the purely financial.

What makes a strong TPO complaint

The quality of a TPO complaint depends significantly on the evidence presented. The following documentation is most useful:

• All written correspondence with the company — emails, letters, and any instant messaging where relevant
• The original written offer and all subsequent written offer amendments
• The company’s Terms of Business
• Any lock-in or exclusivity agreement signed
• The survey report, if one was provided or if a price reduction followed a survey
• A timeline of key events including dates of verbal conversations where relevant
• Any independent valuation obtained
• Evidence of financial loss — for example, costs incurred as a result of a delayed or failed sale

Complaints that clearly identify which specific Code provisions have been breached and support those claims with documentary evidence are more likely to succeed than general complaints about the transaction being unsatisfactory. The Code’s requirement for written confirmation at each key stage means that a company that has failed to provide this documentation is often in breach of the Code in a way that is directly evidenced by the absence of that documentation.

The relationship between TPO and Trading Standards

TPO and Trading Standards serve distinct functions that are complementary rather than alternative.

TPO considers individual complaints and can award compensation where the complaint is upheld. Trading Standards enforces consumer protection legislation in the public interest and can prosecute companies for practices that breach the law — but does not award compensation to individual consumers.

In practice, a seller who has suffered financial loss due to a company’s conduct is best served by pursuing TPO for individual redress while also reporting to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice if the conduct may constitute a breach of consumer protection law. These routes are not mutually exclusive.

Where TPO identifies potential breaches of legislation in the course of its investigation, it will refer the matter to the appropriate enforcement authority, typically Trading Standards. A TPO investigation therefore serves two purposes: it seeks redress for the individual complainant, and it can trigger enforcement action that may benefit other consumers in similar situations.

Practical guidance: getting ready to complain

Before submitting a complaint to TPO, the following preparation is worthwhile:

• Compile a complete chronological file of all documentation — every piece of written communication, every document signed, every offer and amendment
• Write a clear factual summary of what happened, when, and how each event caused harm
• Identify specifically which Code provisions are most relevant to your complaint
• Calculate any financial loss with supporting evidence — costs incurred, difference between what was paid and what was due, etc.
• Ensure the company’s final view letter has been received, or that at least eight weeks have passed since the written complaint was submitted
• Confirm TPO registration on tpos.co.uk before submitting
• Note the 12-month deadline from the company’s final view letter and submit within that window

Key contacts and resources

• Property Ombudsman website and complaint submission: tpos.co.uk
• TPO complaints enquiries: 01722 333 306
• TPO email: admin@tpos.co.uk
• TPO address: Milford House, 43-55 Milford Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 2BP
• NAPB membership verification: napb.co.uk/members
• Trading Standards via Citizens Advice: 0808 223 1133
• Action Fraud (suspected fraud): 0300 123 2040 or actionfraud.police.uk

Related guides: The NAPB Code of Practice explained | Regulation and complaints | How to vet a cash house buyer