Significant Rise in Complaints to Property Redress

Property Redress reported a substantial 47% increase in complaint enquiries from landlords, tenants, and consumers during 2025 compared to the previous year. The scheme, which covers lettings, sales, and leasehold management, received 4,220 enquiries last year, up from 2,863 in 2024. This marks a 77% increase since 2023, with accepted cases rising by 41% by December 2025.

Lettings generated the highest volume of complaints, with common issues including deposit disputes, poor service and management, tenancy payments, and rent collection problems. Sales and leasehold management also contributed to the complaint figures, with sales disputes often involving duty of care, misleading information, and commission disagreements.

Context: Challenges in the Residential Property Sector

Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at Property Redress, highlighted the challenging and evolving environment faced by the residential property sector. He attributed the rise in complaints to economic pressures, ongoing reforms, and increased consumer awareness, all of which have led to greater scrutiny of agents’ practices.

Despite the increase in complaint volumes, Mr Hooker emphasised that professional standards among Property Redress members remain resilient. He noted, “Resolution times have improved and early settlements have increased, which reflects constructive engagement from both agents and consumers.” He also stressed the importance of communication in achieving swift complaint resolution.

Improved Resolution Times Amid Rising Complaints

Although complaint enquiries have risen sharply, the average complaint rate per Property Redress member remained just over 8%. Membership grew modestly from 18,799 in 2024 to 19,051 in 2025, while 85 firms—approximately 0.4% of members—were expelled for non-compliance.

Resolution times have shortened despite the higher case volume, with the average time to resolve complaints falling to 34 days in 2025 from 39 days in 2024. Early resolution has become more common, with 53% of cases settled at this stage compared to 50% the previous year. Financial awards made through early settlements increased by 40% year on year, totalling £273,310.

Financial Redress and Common Dispute Areas

Total financial awards across all stages of complaint resolution reached £1,476,824 in 2025. This figure includes redress agreed at early resolution and formal decisions, although formal awards were lower than the previous year due to more disputes being resolved before escalation.

Sales disputes frequently involved issues around agents’ duty of care, misleading information, instructions, and commission disagreements. Meanwhile, property management and leasehold cases often centred on poor management service, inadequate maintenance, and failure to provide relevant documentation. Leasehold disputes remain among the most entrenched and challenging areas of complaint.

What This Means for UK Landlords and Agents

The rise in complaints highlights the need for landlords and letting agents to maintain clear communication and high professional standards to avoid disputes. The improved resolution times and increased early settlements suggest that proactive engagement can lead to quicker, less costly outcomes.

For landlords, understanding common complaint areas such as deposit handling, rent collection, and property management can help in selecting agents who demonstrate strong compliance and customer service. Agents should be aware that regulatory scrutiny is intensifying, and non-compliance risks expulsion from redress schemes, which could impact their reputation and business.

Looking Ahead

As the UK residential property sector continues to face economic and regulatory challenges, the trend of rising complaints may persist. However, the data from Property Redress indicates that effective communication and early dispute resolution are key to managing these challenges constructively.

Suggested internal link anchors
– letting agent complaints
– property management disputes
– deposit disputes
– tenancy payments issues
– rent collection problems
– leasehold management complaints
– complaint resolution times
– early settlements
– Property Redress scheme
– professional standards in lettings
– agent expulsion for non-compliance
– financial redress awards

TLA update

TLA is launching a new Trusted Partners Hub in Q1 2026, featuring verified and approved service providers selected to support landlords, tenants, and property management businesses. We are inviting legal, trades, insurance, financial, mortgage, tenant screening, and other service providers to register their interest here: https://landlordassociation.org.uk/become-a-tla-service-partner/