Chiswick estate agents OliverFinn, a member of The Property Ombudsman scheme, celebrates its Trading Standards Institute approval.
As a member of the UK’s largest property ombudsman scheme, OliverFinn is one of 11,745 residential sales agents that have signed up to TPO’s Sales Code of Practice.
This news means all home owners and buyers using any of OliverFinn’s offices across London are all covered by
TPO’s Sales Code of Practice. OliverFinn is now listed on Trading Standards Institute (
TSI) online directory of approved traders.
Consumers will be able to look for TPO sales agents through TSI’s dedicated
database and through the Citizens Advice Bureau’s website, to find a member of an approved code in their area.
Christian Harper of
OliverFinn is delighted that the UK is slowly being dragged towards regulation of the industry. “I am fed up with hearing about new agents opening and adopting aggressive and unprofessional processes that have no advantage to the client and do nothing for the reputation of lifelong true professionals”.
Protection for buyers and sellers
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has now become the first property organisation to have a Code of Practice approved by TSI under their Consumer Code Approval Scheme.
Citizens Advice Chief Executive Gillian Guy (above) 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.”
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 means that
OliverFinn offers the highest level of consumer protection for buyers and sellers.
Confirming the news, Property Ombudsman Christopher Hamer said: “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.”