A third UK redress for the property sales sector has been approved by the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team.
A third UK redress for the property sales sector has been approved by the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team.
The Property Redress Scheme is now approved to offer alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to consumers and estate agents where there is a dispute in relation to the buying or selling of residential property.
They join the Property Ombudsman and Ombudsman Services as the three approved redress schemes for the property sales sector in the UK.
From today (Thursday 1 October), the Alternative Dispute Regulations will require estate agency businesses to advise the consumer of an ADR body relevant to their sector and the nature of the specific complaint, once they fail to resolve a dispute through their own customer service efforts.
James Munro, Team Leader for the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team, said: “ADR offers the parties an easier, quicker and more cost effective mechanism to resolve complaints when compared to the court process.
“It is generally accepted that consumers are more willing to use ADR than to use the court process, and that ADR is much better at maintaining, or recovering, a positive relationship between the consumer and trader.”
Further information for consumers is available from Citizen’s Advice www.citizensadvice.org.uk, and for businesses from www.businesscompanion.info – search for ‘ADR’.
The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team, hosted by Powys County Council, is the UK’s lead enforcement authority for the Estate Agents Act 1979 and is a Competent Authority for the purposes of the ADR Regulations.
The team is responsible for approving the UK’s consumer redress schemes in the residential property sector, and for issuing prohibition or warning orders to individuals or businesses who are found to be unfit to engage in estate agency work.
Further information from www.powys.gov.uk/estateagency
Notes to Editors
About National Trading Standards
National Trading Standards delivers national and regional consumer protection enforcement. Its Board is made up of senior and experienced heads of local government trading standards from around England and Wales with an independent Chair. Its purpose is to protect consumers and safeguard legitimate businesses by tackling serious national and regional consumer protection issues and organised criminality and by providing a “safety net” to limit unsafe consumer goods entering the UK and protecting food supplies by ensuring the animal feed chain is safe.
National Trading Standards Estate Agency TeamAm fanylion pellach cysylltwch â:
Lee Evans,
Swyddog Cyfathrebu a'r Cyfryngau
Media and Communications Officer
Ffôn/Tel: 01597 826023
Ffôn Symudol/Mobile: 07769 640058
Ebost/Email: lee.evans@powys.gov.uk
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