Property Ombudsman (TPO)

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is an independent, government-approved dispute resolution scheme that handles complaints from consumers about estate agents, letting agents, and property management companies in England and Wales. It has operated since 1990 and is the largest of the two approved redress schemes in the sector, the other being the Property Redress Scheme. Both schemes are approved under the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, which made membership of an approved redress scheme mandatory for all residential letting and managing agents in England and Wales from October 2014, and for estate agents from December 2007. An agent operating without membership of an approved scheme can be fined up to £5,000.

Who TPO covers and who it does not

TPO membership is a requirement for agents, not for private landlords directly. A self-managing landlord who does not use a letting agent has no access to TPO as a route to bring or defend complaints. TPO is relevant to private landlords in two ways: if the landlord uses a letting or managing agent, any complaint by a tenant about that agent's conduct may involve the landlord as a party; and a landlord who believes their agent has breached the TPO Code of Practice may also raise a complaint about the agent through TPO.

Consumers who are unhappy with a property agent that is a member of the Property Redress Scheme rather than TPO should use that scheme's own complaints process instead, the two schemes operate independently and each only covers its own members.

The TPO complaint process

Before TPO will accept a complaint, the consumer must have first raised the issue with the agent directly and either received an unsatisfactory response or waited at least eight weeks without resolution. TPO imposes a twelve-month time limit: complaints about events that occurred more than twelve months before the application was made will not normally be accepted.

Once a complaint is submitted, via the TPO website at tpos.co.uk, the case is assessed, the agent is invited to respond, and both parties can submit evidence. TPO then investigates and issues a decision. The process typically takes between 30 and 90 days depending on complexity. The service is free to consumers.

Where TPO finds that a consumer received an unreasonable level of service, it can require the agent to apologise, provide information, take remedial action, and pay compensation. Average awards for letting-related complaints are typically in the range of £300 to £600. The maximum TPO can award for lettings complaints is £25,000; the maximum for estate agency complaints is also £25,000. Decisions are binding on agent members but not on the consumer, who may still pursue other legal routes.

TPO decisions do not determine legal rights and do not cover tenancy deposit disputes, those must be referred to the relevant government-approved deposit protection scheme.

TPO, the Renters' Rights Act, and the forthcoming PRS Ombudsman

The Renters' Rights Act 2025, in force from 1 May 2026, does not change TPO's role or agent membership requirements. TPO remains the redress route for complaints about agents. Between November 2025 and February 2026, TPO reported a 58% increase in complaints compared to the same period a year earlier, which it described as the "Renters' Rights effect", increased tenant awareness of rights following the Act's passage.

Separately, the Renters' Rights Act introduced a new mandatory redress scheme specifically for private landlords who let without an agent, the Private Rented Sector Ombudsman. This is distinct from TPO: it covers direct landlord-tenant disputes rather than disputes about agents, and it is expected to become mandatory for landlords in approximately 2028. The two schemes will operate alongside each other, covering different relationships within the private rented sector.

August's document storage lets landlords keep records of all correspondence with their agent, including any internal complaint exchanges, in a single property file, so if escalation to TPO or any other scheme becomes necessary, the full timeline of the dispute is ready to submit.

For a full guide to the forthcoming PRS Landlord Ombudsman, which will cover direct private landlords rather than agents, see the August guide to the PRS Landlord Ombudsman. For the wider dispute resolution landscape available to landlords and tenants, see the August definition of redress.

Frequently asked questions

Do all letting agents have to be members of TPO?

All residential letting agents and property management agents in England and Wales are legally required to be members of an approved redress scheme, either TPO or the Property Redress Scheme, under the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013. An agent operating without membership can be fined up to £5,000. Estate agents have been required to be members since 2007.

Can a private landlord make a complaint to TPO directly?

Only indirectly. TPO handles complaints from consumers about agents, a tenant unhappy with their letting agent's conduct, or a landlord unhappy with how their managing agent has performed, can raise a complaint. A self-managing landlord with no agent cannot bring a complaint to TPO about a tenant, nor can they use it to resolve direct landlord-tenant disputes. For those situations, the relevant routes are the First-tier Tribunal, the county court, or the deposit protection scheme's adjudication service.

What can TPO award if a complaint is upheld?

TPO can require the agent to apologise, explain, take remedial action, and pay compensation. Awards typically fall in the range of £300–£600 for letting-related complaints. The maximum award in lettings is £25,000. Decisions are binding on agent members but not on the consumer. TPO cannot determine legal rights or override decisions of a court or deposit adjudication service.

What is the difference between TPO and the new PRS Landlord Ombudsman?

TPO covers complaints about property agents, it has operated since 1990 and deals with disputes about how agents have handled lettings, sales, management, and related services. The PRS Landlord Ombudsman, to be introduced under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 with mandatory membership expected around 2028, will cover direct private landlords, allowing tenants to bring complaints about their landlord's conduct where no agent is involved. The two schemes will sit alongside each other and cover different relationships.