Regulating Bodies

Leo Newman is fully compliant with the regulations and standards set forth by the Property Ombudsman. 

The Property Ombudsman was established on 1 May 2009, replacing the previous Ombudsman for Estate Agents (OEA). The name change reflects the broader jurisdiction we now have in addressing various complaints related to sales, lettings, commercial properties, and overseas transactions.

Since 1 January 1998, the Ombudsman for Estate Agents (OEA) Scheme has been in place, providing a platform for resolving disputes. This scheme is open to all estate agent firms that have a principal, director, or partner who is a member of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) or Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). It also includes corporate estate agents that are subsidiaries of banks, building societies, insurance companies, or publicly traded entities, as well as sponsored and seconded agents. 

From June 2006 onwards, the OEA extended its services to cover lettings and property management agents.

Because Leo Newman is a member of the TPO, our clients are assured that we follow a code of practice that guarantees a fair, independent, and unbiased approach in our dealings with buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants of residential properties in the UK.

Since 1 October 2008, all estate agents are required to register with an Estate Agents Redress Scheme approved by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The TPO is among the approved schemes, ensuring that complaints against estate agents are properly investigated.

In addition to adhering to the mandatory regulations, we have voluntarily chosen to abide by the TPO Code of Practice for Residential Estate Agents. This code, approved by the OFT under its Consumer Codes Approval Scheme, provides an extra layer of consumer protection that goes beyond legal requirements. By displaying the joint TPO/OFT approved code logos, we demonstrate our commitment to maintaining high standards of professionalism and ethical conduct. It's worth noting that agents who are not registered under the OEA Scheme and have not accepted the voluntary Code of Practice obligations are not entitled to display the OFT approved code logo.

If you are involved in lettings and property management, you can trust that Leo Newman also adheres to the Code of Practice for Letting Agents. 

Whether you are a buyer, seller, landlord, or tenant of residential property in the UK, you can rest assured that we are committed to reaching a satisfactory resolution. The Ombudsman's role is to provide a final settlement and, if appropriate, award financial compensation or take other actions, such as issuing an apology.

For more information about the Property Ombudsman, we encourage you to visit their official website at tpos.co.uk