The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has recently expelled two London-based companies, Prinsegate Chartered Surveyors and Monsoon Properties, due to their failure to comply with compensation orders issued to consumers. This action brings the total number of expulsions for the year to 13, a decrease from the 18 recorded in 2022.
Case Details: Monsoon Properties Ltd
Monsoon Properties Ltd, located in London N15, faced expulsion following a supported complaint by The Property Ombudsman, which resulted in an award of £2,000. The issue arose when Monsoon Properties failed to ensure the return of vacant possession of a property to a landlord at the conclusion of a guaranteed rent agreement. Consequently, the landlord was left with a tenant paying below-market rent for over 14 months past the fixed term’s end. Despite setting up a payment plan, Monsoon Properties only completed two of the eight installments. Currently, the firm appears to have ceased operations, with no online presence or trading address.
Case Details: Prinsegate Chartered Surveyors
The second company, Prinsegate Chartered Surveyors in Kingston Upon Thames, KT1, faced sanctions after The Property Ombudsman supported five complaints from a consumer. The consumer, who had engaged Prinsegate for a property survey, was awarded a refund of £890, the cost of the survey. The Ombudsman’s findings highlighted several issues with Prinsegate’s survey report, including a failure to assign condition ratings to individual elements and recommending further investigations without identified issues. The report also contained inconsistencies in describing property elements, misadvised costings for a damp-proof course in a listed property, and offered conflicting cost estimates for the installation of a fire break. Despite these issues, Prinsegate Chartered Surveyors may still be trading, having not communicated with The Property Ombudsman during the investigation.
Rebecca Marsh’s Statement
Rebecca Marsh, The Property Ombudsman, commented on the expulsions, noting the positive trend in reduced referrals to the Compliance Committee. This trend, according to Marsh, underscores TPO’s effectiveness in ensuring consumer redress. In line with TPO’s compliance process, information about these expulsions has been communicated to relevant authorities, including local and national Trading Standards for further action, as well as all property portals.
