An Open Conversation with Property Redress: How Do Landlords & Tenants Get Along Better, and What to Do If You’re at Odds With Your Management Agent
Earlier this year, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at Property Redress (PR), which was formerly known as Property Redress Scheme (PRS).
The PR is the body responsible for handling complaints between landlords, letting agents, and tenants. Some nuances will be explored further in the article.
This interview offered me the perfect chance to glimpse behind the scenes and ask some pressing questions. For instance, is there a built-in rivalry between landlords and tenants? If so, what causes it? Is the PR witnessing a rise in complaints, and if you find yourself at odds with your management agent, what’s the best way to navigate such a situation?
These questions—and others—are tackled in this article. I hope it offers helpful tips on managing complaints against your management agent—if you ever find yourself in that unfortunate situation—and outlines what you, as a landlord, should do to protect yourself should you need to bring your case to the PR.
Sean: “I’m the Head of Redress at Property Redress. We’ve rebranded by removing ‘Scheme’ from our name.
Before joining PR, I worked at MyDeposits, where I was responsible for setting up the complaints and adjudication process. So, when the opportunity arose to step into the role of Head of Redress, I was a natural fit. I’ve been involved with PR for over 10 years.
The PR is an escalated complaints service that letting agents, sourcers, and residential property managers must be part of. We also address complaints between freeholders and leaseholders.
We are not enforcers, meaning we can't impose fines or shut businesses down. We are not regulators either, so we don’t control how people operate their businesses. Instead, we work to resolve complaints when they arise.
By the time a complaint reaches us, it's considered an ‘escalated complaint.’ It's crucial to understand that our service is not limited to landlords and tenants. Landlords, too, can raise complaints about their managing agents.”
Sean: “Most complaints we deal with fall into two categories: poor communication or poor service.
There’s an old saying: 'No news is good news.' The problem is, there is news, but the agent hasn’t communicated it to the landlord or tenant (or vice versa). For example, if a property is damaged or rent is missed but the landlord isn’t informed, it can create larger issues later.
The primary complaints we receive from tenants relate to outstanding repairs that haven't been addressed, as well as holding deposits not being returned on time.
For landlords, complaints tend to involve rent not being transferred, properties not being inspected, or damage going unreported. There are also less serious issues like communication delays, such as agents not responding to landlords promptly.”
Sean: “For agents, having a solid complaints process in place is essential. We even offer a template for this on our website. It doesn’t need to be overly complicated—the complaint process can fit on a single A4 page. Its purpose is to offer landlords and tenants a clear method for filing a complaint, including a designated contact person or email address.
The simplest way to address any complaint, whether it’s a landlord raising an issue with an agent or a tenant disputing something, is to pick up the phone. Speak directly to the person involved and attempt to resolve the matter through conversation. However, it’s important to always follow up in writing afterwards. This ensures there’s a record of the exchange, should the complaint need to be escalated to us.”
Sean: “If you’re complaining to an agent, allow them up to eight weeks to resolve the issue. A complaints process should never take longer than this; if it does, reach out to us.
If, after submitting your complaint, the agent sends you a final response letter, you may approach us immediately if you’re dissatisfied with the outcome.
A final response letter marks the formal conclusion of the complaint. It indicates that no further investigation will be carried out and that the resolution offered at that time—if one was offered—is their final offer.”
Sean: “In today’s world, much of our communication happens over WhatsApp. People don’t typically write formal complaint letters like they used to. If you’re unhappy with your agent, we suggest submitting a formal complaint via email or letter rather than sending a casual message. If you’re unsure how to do this, we offer templates on our website.
One of the most common issues we encounter is communication breakdowns. Often, WhatsApp messages become less frequent, or the agent stops responding altogether. If this occurs, we advise landlords to contact us before reaching the usual eight-week waiting period.
As investigators, we look for an audit trail—a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. We need to see evidence, such as email chains or WhatsApp messages, showing when the issue began, how it was addressed, and how the complaint was concluded. This could indicate that a resolution was offered, the complaint was ignored, or the agent simply ceased communication with the landlord.
Every situation has two sides. By providing us with this evidence, we can reconstruct the events and assess which version of the story aligns best with the truth.”
Sean: “There has been a growing number of cases like this. Let’s say it’s down to the ‘success’ of the industry as it has expanded over the years.
Previously, rental properties were primarily used by people who needed short-term accommodation—students, for example. Now, however, many people rely on rental properties for long-term housing. Some will live in rentals permanently, either because they are more affordable, because they cannot afford to buy a home, or for other personal reasons. The housing crisis has played a significant role in this shift.
Rather than being viewed simply as ‘a place to stay,’ rental properties are now seen as homes. Because of this, tenants are far more protective of them. Where you lay your head at night is one of the most important aspects of life. That sense of home is central to how we see ourselves, and that emotional attachment often leads to tension.
From a landlord’s perspective, many are what we call ‘accidental landlords.’ They may own one or two properties—perhaps inherited, previously lived in and moved out of, or bought as an investment. Since these landlords only have a small number of rental units, they often have a strong emotional connection to them.
These individuals, often referred to as ‘mom-and-pop’ landlords, do not always realize that they are offering a service. In essence, they are running a business—a business that provides people with a home in exchange for rent. Because they don’t see themselves as service providers and instead approach things emotionally, they don’t always conduct themselves with the level of professionalism that the role demands.”
Sean: “It will never happen, but what would be best is if we removed the terms ‘landlord’ and ‘tenant’ altogether. Owning a rental property does not make you lord of anyone. Instead, it would be more fitting if we changed the terminology to ‘business’ and ‘customer’. It would give everyone a more accurate view of how things should be.That’s not to say the tenant is always right. Going back to our customer/business analogy, you wouldn’t expect someone to walk into a hotel chain drunk, abuse the staff, and then wreck the room. Tenants need to treat the property, and the landlord, with respect.”
Sean: “We have seen a natural increase in complaints. We grow every year, and we now have over 20,000 agents registered with us.
Not all complaints come to us. Many are resolved after a conversation between the landlord and the agent, the tenant and the agent, or directly between the tenant and landlord. In terms of the complaints we do get involved in, we deal with approaching 3,000 cases a year.
I think that, in modern society, people are generally more discontent, and social media plays a role in that. It’s so easy to leave a negative review on Facebook or Trustpilot. This can be powerful, as it publicly affects businesses and forces them to act. Because of this, I think some people feel they don’t need to come to us.
Complaining online is one route you can take. However, once that complaint has been made public, it often marks the end of the relationship between the customer and the business.
On the other hand, if you involve an organization like ours, there is potential for healing and repairing that relationship. We are not a court of law. We’re not here for the landlord, the tenant, or the letting agent. We are here for everyone, to try and fix relationships and get people working together.”
Sean: “Okay, so let’s say you have written to an agent, and after investigating, they send you their final response letter. Unhappy with the outcome, you escalate things to us.At this point, we would assess your complaint against our criteria. We can’t deal with every complaint. For example, if we think your agent has committed fraud, that would be a legal issue, and wouldn’t sit with us.
Once we have reviewed the agent’s complaints process, a case assessor will reach out to you. That’s when a further investigation takes place, and we will communicate with both sides. Everything is fully documented, and we’ll explore with the landlord if there is a resolution that can be met.We offer a resolution to both parties, and if they accept, it becomes a formal resolution (a signed document), and the case is closed.
If there is an impasse, we proceed with a formal adjudication. This is where we examine the evidence from both parties, weigh it up, and the adjudicator decides which version of events they believe is the most accurate.
If both parties accept the resolution provided after the adjudication, the case is closed. If not, they have the right to take the agent to court.
The decision is final, but if the landlord or agent believes the adjudicator has made a fundamental legal error, the complaint can be escalated to me for review.”
Sean: “My advice is to document everything. From the agent’s point of view, if you are using a CRM, make sure you keep your notes up to date. Also, don’t use abbreviations or shorthand. If you do, make sure you send a translation to the adjudicator along with the evidence.
If you are complaining to an agent via WhatsApp or email, make sure you gather the entire chain of communication coherently. The adjudicator needs to be able to follow the ‘story’ from start to finish. It makes their job much harder if there are separate chains of communication floating around, with no clear indication of when they were sent.
Think of it as if you’re going to court. You wouldn’t just place a stack of papers in front of the judge on the day of the trial and ask him to read through them!The most important document a landlord can have when complaining about a letting or management agent is their tenancy agreement.
The second most important document is your management contract. You should never walk away from your agent without a signed contract that outlines clear terms and conditions. These terms need to specify what services the agent promised to deliver and at what cost.
Just because an agent claims their service is full management doesn’t mean it actually is. If you don’t have a signed contract, the agent can argue they were never contracted to perform that work.”
Sean: “Don’t see complaints as your enemy. If, at the end of the day, your customers don’t express their dissatisfaction, you don’t a way to set things right.
Likewise, you should look for feedback from your customers. A complaint gives you the opportunity to improve yourself and your service.
When you get that complaint, embrace it positively. Some people will never be satisfied, but you want to be able to say, hand on heart, that you have done everything you can.Human relationships can go wrong, but try to be as professional as possible.If we can help you in your property business, or if you’d like access to our free resources, then visit our website using the link below.”
Website:
LinkedIn: Sean Hooker
