Agency reform chief to speak at The Property Ombudsman conference

The Property Ombudsman’s annual conference is to hear from the chair of the government’s ‘Property Agents Working Group’ - just days before it is expected to reveal some of the most far-reaching reforms of the industry ever.

Lord Best is a panelist at the conference, which takes place on July 10 in Solihull, West Midlands. 

He will be joined by three other panelists - former housing minister Mark Prisk, the Tory MP for Hertford and Stortford; property market analyst and buy to let specialist Kate Faulkner; and the head of Savills’ customer service and compliance team, Theresa Wallace.

Other speakers on the day include Baroness Warwick, chair of TPO’s Board; conference facilitator Michael Stoop, who is non-executive director and chair of TPO’s Industry Forum; and the Property Ombudsman herself Katrine Sporle.  

Sporle’s contribution is expected to focus on the rapidly changing property reform landscape, its impact on agents, and how TPO is adapting to these changes with significant developments to its governance, processes and Codes of Practice. 

“Following the government’s consultation into strengthening redress in the housing market and the announcement of a Redress Reform Working Group, this year’s conference couldn’t be timelier. As the industry as a whole enters a period of evolution, we want to equip agents with the tools and knowledge to not only survive but thrive, and we believe exceptional customer service standards are at the heart of success” she says.

Guest speaker on the day will be consultant, trainer and author of ‘Modern Zombie Slayer’, Nick Looby.  He has worked with HSBC, UK Power Networks, Proctor & Gamble and the BBC on issues surrounding communications and influence. 

This year the number of interactive workshops - which TPO says are consistently the post popular element of the conference - will be doubled to enable delegates to participate in both sales and lettings workshops. There will also be separate workshops run for residential leasehold management. 

David Cox, the chief executive of ARLA, and his counterpart Mark Hayward from the NAEA will provide sector updates, as will Andrew Bulmer, the chief executive of the Institute of Residential Property Management.

You can find more details of the conference, and how to attend, here.