Ombudsman sees fewer disputes

The property Ombudsman has said that the number of disputes it decided on had fallen by 38 per cent in the first three months of the year, compared with the previous quarter. The Ombudsman opened 102 new cases this year in regards to sales, down from 162 the previous quarter. However the number of complaints about lettings was up slightly following a 200 per cent increase during the whole of 2008. Estate agents now have to be a member of a free Ombudsman service, which ensures customer complaints are dealt with, but letting agents are not yet required to join a redress scheme.