"Urgent regulation needed" to stop abusive practices by RICS and its Broken Solution - Ombudsman Services:Property. (52)

To: The Leader of the House of Commons / The past and present Business Secretaries and to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government:

Ombudsman Services Part 4: The Full English Cover-Up (52)

52) "Urgent regulation needed" to stop abusive practices by RICS and its Broken Solution - Ombudsman Services:Property.

‘Urgent regulation needed’ to stop abusive practices by letting agents

Dear Mrs Leadsom, Mr Cable, Mr Javid, Mr Clark and Mr Brokenshire,

What Anna Tims says in her Guardian article is true.

What is also true is that, "urgent regulation needed" to stop abusive practices by surveyors - and RICS surveyors in particular.

Q. Mrs Leadsom, Mr Cable, Mr Javid, Mr Clark and Mr Brokenshire, why has the Privy Council permitted the situation to arise in which the RICS cannot enforce its own Rules and Regulations?

Anna Tims

Lives are being ruined as people are stuck in properties unfit for habitation, with no option to leave 

This is also true as is the fact that lives are being ruined by a failure of RICS to regulate and a failure of their appointed ADR company - Ombudsman Services:Property - to offer fair and independent redress.

Q. Mrs Leadsom, Mr Cable, Mr Javid, Mr Clark and Mr Brokenshire, why is the solution being offered by Lewis Shand Smith - "broken?"

Mrs Leadsom, Mr Cable, Mr Javid, Mr Clark and Mr Brokenshire, we don't understand Lewis Shand Smith's statement that, "For an ombudsman to be effective it needs a regulator." RICS regulate Ombudsman Services:Property. It has a Memorandum of Understanding with its, "appointed" company and is in regular communication with the Property Ombudsman to ensure, "the effective resolution of complaints." 

Q. Mrs Leadsom, Mr Cable, Mr Javid, Mr Clark and Mr Brokenshire, is Lewis Shand Smith saying The Broken Solution To The Broken Market is due to RICS abject failure to regulate?

Q. Mrs Leadsom, Mr Cable, Mr Javid, Mr Clark and Mr Brokenshire, Lewis Shand Smith's organisation is required by The Ombudsman Association to produce an Annual Report. It hasn't done so for 2017 Why is Lewis Shand Smith advising government on regulation when he can't follow Ombudsman Association requirements to be transparent and accountable?

Q. Mrs Leadsom, Mr Cable, Mr Javid, Mr Clark and Mr Brokenshire, MoneySavingExperts reported that nearly 90% of property complainants were dissatisfied with Lewis Shand Smith's Broken Solutuion. Why is Lewis Shand Smith advising government on regulation and redress?

Q. Mr Javid, when you were Business Secretary we sent you a number of emails detailing why Lewis Shand Smith's Solution was Broken, Why didn't you respond and intervene to fix The Broken Solution and thereby prevent nearly 90% of consumers from getting one of Lewis Shand Smith's Broken Solutions?

Q. Mrs Leadsom, Mr Cable, Mr Javid, Mr Clark and Mr Brokenshire, for years we've been saying rogue cowboy RICS surveyors should be named and shamed, Why weren't you listening?

Last month, Ombudsman Services said it would withdraw from handling complaints about the property sector because the system offered a “broken solution to a broken market”.  “For an ombudsman to be effective it needs a regulator,” says the service’s chief ombudsman, Lewis Shand Smith. “There are rogue letting agencies out there but we can investigate only individual problems, with no powers to address the root of them, whereas a regulator can step in when systemic failures are identified.” The service plans to wind up its redress scheme for surveyors and managing, estate and letting agents by the summer and focus on advising the government on regulatory reform. The government is consulting on proposals that include a single housing ombudsman to handle complaints. Crucially, landlords and developers may be obliged to sign up and companies could be named and shamed to stamp out shoddy practice. The housing secretary, Sajid Javid, said last month: “The current choice of schemes risks leaving thousands without answers, with others having to manoeuvre between at least four different services just to work out where to register a complaint.”  There clearly needs to be an urgent public inquiry into RICS and its appointed company Ombudsman Services:Property - two organisations that have been offering a Broken Solution for the past decade. What a scandal. Yours sincerely Steve Gilbert Workstock Number - 510458.