Property
The Property Ombudsman, 2025
7,681 disputes resolved, up 54%. 61% of formal decisions for the consumer. £1.75 million awarded. Average award: £616 in sales, £497 in lettings.
61%
of formal decisions by The Property Ombudsman in 2025 went the consumer’s way.
50%
of cases The Motor Ombudsman accepted in 2024 were upheld for the consumer.
137%
rise in private dental cases opened by the Dental Complaints Service in 2024.
Three Schemes, One Year Each
Garages
The Motor Ombudsman, 2024
11,522 cases accepted, 3,034 of them service and repair. Half upheld for the consumer. 23,499 cases in January to May 2026, up 22% on a year before.
Dental
Dental Complaints Service, private care, 2024
1,102 cases opened, up 137%. 985 resolved. 584 full refunds and 93 partial ones. 82% were about clinical treatment.
What Garage Complaints Are About
In the third quarter of 2024, customers taking a service or repair to the ombudsman asked for an average of £3,689. Most often they asked for a free repair (31%), then compensation (23%), then a refund (19%).
The Clock You’re on
Property agents in The Property Ombudsman scheme must follow its complaints timetable. Other sectors set their own, but this one is a fair test for any business.
- Acknowledge by Thursday 5 November 2026
- Written response by Monday 23 November 2026
- Eight weeks: Monday 28 December 2026, after which the customer can go to the ombudsman
Most Are Settled Before a Decision
In 2025, The Property Ombudsman settled 4,552 disputes early and made 3,129 formal decisions. By our sum, that is 59% settled before a decision. In dental care, 64% of cases the Dental Complaints Service resolved in 2024 were settled by the practice itself once the service got involved.
Settling well, and early, is cheaper than settling late.
What It Costs the Business
- Letting and property management agents in England must belong to a redress scheme. The fine for not doing so is up to £5,000.
- The Property Ombudsman charges £277.96 a year per branch, including three case reviews. Each further case review is £426.48 (both before VAT).
Three Things to Try
- Acknowledge every complaint in writing within three working days, even if the answer will take longer.
- Keep one log: date in, what it’s about, date answered, outcome.
- Read your last five complaints. If most are about not hearing back, the fix is updates, not the work.
Sources
- The Property Ombudsman, Annual Review 2025
- The Property Ombudsman, complaints handling toolkit, March 2026
- The Property Ombudsman, fees
- The Motor Ombudsman, Annual Report 2024
- The Motor Ombudsman, Q3 2024 release, 28 October 2024
- The Motor Ombudsman, 14 July 2026 release
- General Dental Council, Dental Complaints Service Review 2023 and 2024
- Redress Schemes for Lettings Agency Work and Property Management Work Order 2014, art. 8
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