MT Properties Central Limited Expelled from The Property Ombudsman for 2 years.

MT Properties Central Limited (MTPC), a sales and letting agent which operates in Birmingham, has been expelled from membership of The Property Ombudsman (TPO) for a minimum of two years after failing to comply with parts of the TPO Code of Practice for Residential Letting Agents. MTPC also failed to co-operate with the Ombudsman’s investigation and to date has not paid the award made of £2,300.

The decision to expel MTPC from TPO membership arose following a complaint from landlords relating to a number of aspects of the agent’s service in connection with tenancies at two properties.  The Ombudsman found evidence of poor record keeping and administration, and upheld complaints about the collection and payment of rent to landlords, as well as poor service.

The agent’s poor record keeping made it difficult to be sure what rent had been received and what had been paid to the landlords.  However the Ombudsman decided that four months’ rent was owed to the landlords in respect of one property. He was critical of the fact that the agent had named themselves as the landlord on the tenancy agreement for the other property, instead of the actual landlords. It was noted that if this prohibited the landlords from pursuing the rent arrears, the agent should do so on the landlord’s behalf. The Ombudsman was also critical of the agent’s poor communication with the landlords, failure to pursue one tenant for full rent payments and poor complaints handling.

A complaint about the handling of the termination of the contract with the landlord was also upheld.  Because of poor record keeping the Ombudsman was unable to reach a conclusion on a complaint about tenants being accepted by the agent without any referencing.  But, the Ombudsman said the agent should have clearly documented that they had advised the landlords that it was not in their best interests.

Following the investigation, The Ombudsman awarded the complainants a total of £2,300 compensation to cover the aggravation, distress and inconvenience caused, as well as outstanding rent.  MTPC has not yet paid the award.

Christopher Hamer commented “My role as Property Ombudsman is to impartially review complaints made by members of the public against agents based on the evidence that is submitted to me. I aim to promote a resolution in full and final settlement of a complaint, and will determine appropriate redress where I am satisfied that the actions of an agent have disadvantaged a complainant. In examining the issues involved, in this case I determined there were severe shortcomings in the agent’s approach, I supported four of the five complaints and made an award in favour of the landlord. The agent however has failed to meet his obligations to pay that award and has now felt the consequences.”

When agents join TPO they agree to comply with the Code of Practice, and that includes agreement to co-operate with investigations and to pay any awards made. MTPC failed to do that.  The Disciplinary and Standards Committee (DSC) of TPO considered those were serious and flagrant breaches of the Code of Practice and decided SWL should be expelled from voluntary membership of TPO for a minimum of two years.

 

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

UK house prices growing by 2.5% according to Halifax

Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark: “This slight dip in house prices will likely have been influenced as a direct consequence to the current state of the global economy. There will always be a need for people to move house regardless of international trading relations; however, many aspiring or current homeowners will no doubt be discouraged…
Read More
Breaking News

UK house prices dip slightly in May, but market remains steady

Average property price now £296,648 compared to £297,798 last month Annual rate of growth slows to +2.5% from +3.2% in April Overall house prices have remained stable so far this year Northern Ireland continues to lead annual price growth in the UK Amanda Bryden, Head of Mortgages, Halifax, said: “Average UK house prices fell by…
Read More
Breaking News

Estate Agent Content

Do you think that your estate agency / property business requires content? Is content marketing still a thing in 2025? Are you concerned if anyone will read your words? Is it worth investing in estate agent content? Businesses with blogs generate 67% more leads than those without. As competition for attention online increases it remains…
Read More
Breaking News

The cost of voids rises by £200 for England’s landlords

The latest analysis by Dwelly, one of the UK’s leading lettings acquisition and success planning experts, has found that landlords have been hit with a 26% increase in the cost of void periods in the past year, equivalent to lost income of almost £200. Dwelly analysed average void period data from March 2024 and March…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 5/06/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. Demand Rises for Housing and Infrastructure Projects Rising demand for housing, infrastructure and energy projects across Wales has driven continued growth at Lichfields’ Cardiff office, which this year marks 25 years in the capital. The team of 17 planning professionals is one of the largest…
Read More
Breaking News

Construction continues to enjoy a season in the sun

Underlying performance is on the rise during Q.2 2025 Today, Glenigan, one of the construction industry’s leading insight experts, releases the June 2025 edition of its Construction Index. The Index focuses on the three months to the end of May 2025, covering all underlying projects, with a total value of £100m or less (unless otherwise…
Read More