Homeowners and tenants will have one place where they can take property complaints after the government revealed they plan to launch a Housing Complaints Resolution Service.
Private landlords will be legally required to join a redress scheme for the first time ever or face a fine of up to £5,000. This will give tenants the reassurance that they have somewhere to turn to if they are dis-satisfied with their rental property, but other new measures will also help homeowners.
A New Homes Ombudsman is planned, and all new build developers will have to register with it by 2021 if they want to be part of the government’s Help To Buy scheme.
Simplifying the process for owners and tenants
The redress service is intended to give everyone a simple-to-understand procedure that they can turn to when common housing-related niggles occur, like faulty boilers or cracked walls. Poor building work and landlords who don’t maintain their property are other issues that will be targeted by the proposals.
It is hoped that having a single complaints service, regardless of whether someone owns or rents, will prevent delays and stress when things go wrong.
“All too often the process can be confusing and overly bureaucratic, leaving many homeowners and tenants feeling like there is nowhere to go in the event of problems with their home,” said Communities Secretary James Brokenshire.
“The proposals I have announced will help ensure all residents are able to access help when they need it, so disputes can be resolved faster, and people can get compensation where it’s owed.”
The new resolution service will replace a complicated system that comprises of The Property Ombudsman, Ombudsman Services: Property, the Property Redress Scheme, and the Housing Ombudsman to provide a single, streamlined process. It follows a two-month government consultation in 2018 that had 1,200 responses.
Housing industry backs new measures
In a joint statement, Mark Hayward, NAEA chief executive and his ARLA counterpart David Cox backed the proposal, saying: “We are very pleased that the government has listened and accepted our recommendation to establish a single ‘front door’.
“Propertymark welcomes this approach and is pleased to see the government taking a holistic approach to redress right across the property industry; creating the beginnings of a more integrated housing strategy rather than the piecemeal, sectoral and issue-specific approach that we have all had to deal with for too long.”
The Guild of Property Professionals also backed the plans “wholeheartedly” and added: “The general public need greater confidence that whether buying (both re-sale and new homes), selling, letting or renting a property, they are dealing with a professional agent and there is a clear route to redress in the event of a dispute.”
