The Property Ombudsman

What The Property Ombudsman does

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is a UK not-for-profit, independent dispute resolution service established in 1990 and headquartered in Salisbury, Wiltshire. It provides free, impartial resolution of disputes between individual consumers and property businesses — covering letting agents, estate agents, auctioneers, property managers, surveyors, buying agents, and other property professionals — through an online self-service complaint portal (selfserve.tpos.co.uk), phone support, and a structured four-step process culminating in binding decisions. TPO is approved by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team, is a CTSI-approved Alternative Dispute Resolution body, and is a full member of the Ombudsman Association, providing the regulatory basis on which UK property agents are required to register with an approved redress scheme.

TPO's product surface spans a core dispute resolution service, four membership tiers (Full Membership, Registration, Residential Leasehold Management, and Property Surveyors/Property Professionals), CTSI-approved Codes of Practice, sector-specific complaint handling toolkits, a case studies library, and a publications stream of annual and thematic insight reports. New 2026 product launches include guidance for the Renters' Rights Act (effective 1 May 2026), a Property Auctions Insight Report, and consumer guidance on conditional selling. The operating model is a virtual organisation with 1–10 staff working from home, supported by a unitary Board chaired by Claire Bassett and a separate TPO Scotland legal entity for Scotland-specific codes.

Revenue is generated entirely from property businesses via annual subscription fees (ranging from £140.04 for surveyors/professionals to £277.96 per branch for Full Membership, and £186.72–£676.85 for RLM depending on unit count) plus per-case review fees of £116.73–£457.25 for cases exceeding the free allocation. Consumer access is free, producing a two-sided model where scale is driven by statutory registration demand and case-fee volume, with 45,000+ businesses across 30+ sectors participating in TPO-aligned Codes of Practice.

Name

The Property Ombudsman

Legal name

The Property Ombudsman

Website

https://tpos.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Property Ombudsman is a UK not-for-profit, government-approved dispute resolution service for property-related complaints, serving individual consumers free of charge and 45,000+ registered property businesses across 30+ sectors via annual membership and per-case fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Salisbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Business Membership Fees: Property businesses pay annual fees to register with TPO as members. Full Membership covers residential and commercial sales and lettings, auctions and chattels, buying agents and property sourcing. Annual fees vary by membership type and branch count.
2. Case Review Fees: Additional case review fees charged to businesses when complaints exceed free allocations included in membership. Early resolution and full case review fees apply per case.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is an independent, not-for-profit dispute resolution service established in 1990 that provides free, impartial resolution of disputes between consumers and property businesses (estate agents, letting agents, auctioneers, property managers, surveyors). Property businesses must register and pay membership fees to join the government-approved redress scheme, while consumers access dispute resolution free of charge via an online complaints portal.

Product overview

The Property Ombudsman is an independent dispute resolution service established in 1990, providing impartial resolution for disputes between consumers and property businesses. The service operates through multiple membership tiers (Full Membership, Registration, Residential Leasehold Management, and Property Surveyors/Professionals) that property businesses must join to demonstrate professional standards. The core product is the dispute resolution service, which evaluates complaints about property agents and professionals following the organization's Codes of Practice. Supporting offerings include complaint handling toolkits, guidance on legislation such as the Renters' Rights Act, a library of case studies, and annual/insight reports. The service is accessible through digital channels including an online complaints form for consumers and an online registration portal for businesses. The organization does not offer a public API or technical product integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 auction-related complaints resolved in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)coreOthersGovernment department that provides approval for TPO's scheme for matters involving lettings and property management agents. MHCLG engages in governance processes to ensure conditions of approval are met, including performance monitoring.
• Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)coreOthersCTSI provides approval for TPO's Codes of Practice and designates TPO as an approved ADR Body under consumer dispute regulations. TPO operates 22 ADR officials appointed after CTSI-approved processes.
• National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT)coreOthersNTSEAT provides approval for TPO's scheme for matters involving estate agents. Reviews TPO's performance and governance to ensure appropriate standards of service.
• Ombudsman AssociationcoreOthersTPO is a full member of the Ombudsman Association and has adopted its Service Standards Framework. TPO has been validated as adhering to principles of good governance for ombudsmen schemes.
• Citizens AdviceminorOthersTPO works with Citizens Advice to help consumers who need support with complaints. Citizens Advice representatives can help consumers with their complaint process.
• PropertymarkminorOthersPropertymark is a leading membership body for property agents. TPO works with Propertymark members and recognises Propertymark ARLA, NAEA, and NAVA memberships.
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)minorOthersRICS is referenced in TPO's Codes of Practice and guidance documents. RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code is referenced for leasehold management disputes.
• Trade Bodies and Professional ServicescoreOthersTPO considers complaints about members of certain trade bodies and professional services under Service Level Agreements. This includes building warranty providers with whom TPO has Service Level Agreements.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TPOmb
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thepropertyombudsman
• Facebookfacebook.com/PropertyOmbudsman
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-property-ombudsman
• Instagraminstagram.com/thepropertyombudsman

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Property Ombudsman