TPO Issues Revised Codes Of Practice

TPO Issues Revised Codes Of Practice

At the start of June 2019, The Property Ombudsman (TPO) revised their Codes of Practice, so it could include the Tenant Fees Act 2019, Client Money Protection and GDPR requirements.

Key revisions to the Sales Code include:

  • Leasehold, commonhold & managed freehold disclosure: Agents’ obligations to request and divulge information relating to leasehold have been widened. If material information on the tenure is not known, this should be made clear to the consumer at the outset of marketing.
  • Dual Fees: In relation to the potential risk to sellers of being charged two commission fees when they sell their property, transparency obligations have been updated and expanded together with a definition of effective introduction in the glossary.

Key revisions to the Lettings Code include:

  • England Only: TPO Code of Practice for Residential Letting Agents is now an England only Code. The current 2016 Lettings Code will continue to apply to Wales and Northern Ireland until such time as Welsh tenant fee legislation becomes effective.
  • Tenant Fees: The Code reflects changes imposed on agents by the Tenant Fee Act 2019, with new sections on holding deposits and the fees which are permissible under the Act.
  • Tenancy Deposit Replacement Products: A further update takes into account the emergence of tenancy deposit replacement products, putting the onus on agents to clearly explain the potential advantages and disadvantages of that product prior to tenants and landlords committing themselves.
  • Client Money Protection: The Code also reflects the requirement to belong to a CMP scheme and to display the CMP certificate in agents’ offices and on websites.

All other Codes including, Scottish Sales, Buying Companies, Buying Agents, Commercial and Business, have been updated in line with legislation and best practice obligations.

The revisions to the Codes of Practice were not conducted lightly, with 44 different organisations and individuals taking part in the process.

These included The Ministry of House, Communities and Local Government and the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team who provided a technical review of the lettings and sales codes respectively. The Scottish Sales Codes were also scrutinised and approved accordingly.

Katrine Sporle, the Ombudsman, comments:

“We have carried out the largest consultation yet on the codes and are extremely grateful to all of the parties who have contributed to the process. With CTSI’s approval, consumers and agents can be confident that the Codes reflect both market developments and the significant legislative changes that have occurred over the last 12 months. As the industry changes at such a rapid rate, it is necessary to release new versions of our Codes to help agents understand their responsibilities and reduce the potential for consumer detriment to occur. Given these extensive changes, we have taken the decision to double the number of agent workshops at our annual Conference and will focus delegates attention on pre and post fee ban and code change cases.”

To view the updated Codes of Practice visit The Property Ombudsman’s website.

Jennifer van Deursen

Jen is the Senior Media Officer for Today’s Conveyancer, Today’s Wills & Probate  and Today’s Family Lawyer. Having gained a degree in Multimedia Computing, Jen fell into a content role after successfully applying for a job at Cheshire Police. During her 6-year service, she took on the role as personal Press Officer under the first Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire and worked in the busy press office for the force. Jen has experience in the marketing and communication sphere, which stems from her time in the public sector, private care sector and now here at the Practical Vision Network, where she can utilise her skills and challenge herself further.

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