© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
The report entitled 'Government Review of Regulation and Redress in the UK Housing Market' was written for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) by Professor Colin Jones, at Heriot-Watt University.
The research looks at problems across the housing sector that are damaging consumer confidence. Jones calls for the simplification and strengthening of existing redress provisions to help improve the public's awareness of their rights.
Jones criticises current arrangements to protect consumers from rogue agents and landlords saying: "Voluntary accreditation/redress schemes of estate agencies and lettings agencies cover approximately two thirds and a half of their respective market in terms of numbers of agents. The Housing Ombudsman has a very small but significant part of the market. Independent redress is only available for the order of four per cent at most of private tenants renting directly from landlords except with regard to deposits."
The report has been welcomed by the Ian Fletcher, the British Property Federation's residential director. He said: "We're pleased that the government is making moves to protect consumers and help the industry become more professional and more responsible. Allowing rogue operators damages consumer confidence and undermines the positive work undertaken by the many professional players in the market. If the day is not too far off when providing access to redress is a part-and-part of operating in the sector, for the professional landlord or agent I don't think that will be a problem."
[Report should go on the website as a download to the article - http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file49743.pdf ]