What International Human Rights Day means to The Property Ombudsman

Today, 10 December 2021, marks International Human Rights Day.

The Property Ombudsman is a government-approved and independent organisation within the UK. Our mission is to promote best practice and level up standards across the private property sector. As an Ombudsman scheme, we provide signposting and guidance for consumers and agents. We provide Codes of Practice; most commonly Sales and Lettings, which provide best practice guidance for the property sector.

How does this relate to Human Rights Day?

In section 25 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights , it covers:

1. Education
2. Housing
3. A decent standard of living
4. Non-discrimination

The 4 keynotes above are ongoing objectives for The Property Ombudsman.

1. Education:?We regularly update our Codes of Practice to ensure property member agents are equipped to follow best practice required by law, as well as the legal obligations set out by law.?Note that?TPO is not authorised to take enforcement action or make decisions on potential breaches of legislation. If an investigation carried out by us shows that potential breaches or criminal activity are found, we will report the matter to the appropriate authority. Click here to view our Codes of Practice.

We also provide Complaint Handling Toolkits , which includes a white labelled complaints procedure and letter templates to help agents deal with complaints in a structurally and timely way. It also guides how to handle complaints effectively.

2.??????Housing:?The Property Ombudsman offers signposting for consumers with issues outside of our Terms of Reference ; a few being in relation to homelessness and debt. Our staff members are regularly trained to a high standard to ensure they hold resilience, and an ability to support vulnerable consumers.

3.??????A decent standard of living:?To promote best practice we have a team at TPO dedicated to focusing on current issues through data and insight;?these are regularly raised with stakeholders at our TPO Forums, and other external events. TPO also encourages consumers to read and understand our Consumer Guide , which offers guidance on numerous matters such as how to complain to an agent, why you must complain, and timescales.

A common complaint from tenants which was reported in our 2020 Annual Report was Repairs. Our Consumer Guide advises consumers with information that is not expected to be common knowledge, such as “The agent should give a clear and easy process for reporting repairs. If the repair is their responsibility, they should arrange it promptly and keep you informed, providing they have their client’s authority and the funds needed to do so.”?

4.??????Non-discrimination:?As an organisation we promote the importance of equality and accessibility, internally and externally, covering all protected characteristics. Consumers have the right to access the agents' complaints service, as well as our service at TPO. As a duty under the Equality Act 2010 , we have a responsibility to ensure reasonable adjustments are made for those classified as disabled and that we recognise individuals who have different needs. To read more on what and how we cover this please see our Reasonable Adjustments Policy .?