The Property Ombudsman received a record number of enquiries with 57,635 people settling housing disputes through its service last year.  

The government-approved scheme, founded in 1990, resolves disputes between consumers and property agents.  

It awarded £1.52m to consumers with 83% of accepted cases finding in favour of buyers or renters involved in a range of property activities, including private lets, house sales, auctions and leaseholds.  

It adds that the service “has grown from its estate agent roots to provide redress for lettings, residential leasehold management and a wide range of property professions”.   

The body says that with its private lettings cases, there was “a high level of enquiries and disputes relating to repairs and maintenance with 62% of lettings enquiries coming from tenants”. It awarded over £626,000 to lettings cases.  

Property Ombudsman Rebecca Marsh says: “We offer much more than dispute resolution, our expert teams provide guidance to resolve consumer issues before they escalate to complaints, saving consumers and businesses time and money.  

“We also work with businesses to drive best practice through our codes of practice which have become the gold standard for the industry.”