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Complaints procedures for
Estate Agents, Surveyors etc.
| General
Comment- |
The Estate
Agency industry has had a lot of criticism over the last few years. The
Ombudsman for Estate Agents Scheme has been set up, on a voluntary membership
basis, to handle complaints about residential estate agents. Many agents
have not signed up to this scheme so it's worth checking before using an
agent that's not, often court will be your only option in the case of a
dispute. Clear codes do exist and you can read these on the Ombudsman for
Estate Agents website. Most Surveyors are regulated by the Royal Institution
of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Links to further information
have been given below if you are unsure of the procedures outlined here. |
| Step
1 - |
Local resolution
1: First step is to direct your complaint towards the estate agent
or surveyor in question, preferably with the individual who dealt with
you initially. These firms are obliged to have an established complaints
procedure so the complaint should be given the appropriate attention.
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| Step
2 - |
Local resolution
2: Take your complaint to the Manager or Head Office if applicable.
Demand that your complaint be handled by a senior representative. Again,
estate agents and surveyors should have a proper complaints procedure,
especially if they are part of the Ombudsman scheme and/or part of a trade
association.
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| Step
3 - |
Authorities:
The Ombudsman for Estate Agents (OEA) deals with complaints against
its members and investigates any breach of the code of practice, maladministration
etc. Some members of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
and of the National Association of Estate Agents are also members of the
OEA scheme.
The Royal Institution
of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)requires that their members have a formal
complaints procedures in place which will deal with your complaint. This
procedure leads to arbitration if you remain dissatisfied with the results.
In all cases, you can seek advice from your local Trading Standards Office
or Citizens' Advice Bureau. They will give you free advice and may take
up your complaint for you.
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| Step
4 - |
Court: Failing
all else you can still go to court to resolve your dispute. Details of
small claims court and other procedures are given in the Legal Section
of this site. You can also contact the Community Legal Service (justask.org.uk)
that gives access to free advice. Otherwise your local Citizen’s Advice
Bureau will give you advice and will sometimes organise free legal representation
for you.
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If you are at all unsure
about any of these steps or would like further information please use the list
of Information links given below. If you click on the  icon the relevant site will open a new window.
Links to Information
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The Ombudsman
for Estate Agents handles complaints about estate agents who are members
of the scheme. |
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The National
Association of Estate Agents |
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The Royal
Institution of Chartered Surveyors |
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The Office
of Fair Trading website includes general advice on consumer rights. |
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The Trading
Standards Institute website includes leaflets giving advice on a range of
consumer goods and services. |
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The British
and Irish Ombudsmen Association gives details of all British and Irish Ombudsmen
|
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Citizens
Advice Bureau |
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