Common pitfalls and mistakes

The lettings industry can often be high pressure and fast moving, with landlords anxious to let their properties as quickly as possible and tenants keen to move. Inevitably, problems are likely to occur, but these can be minimised or avoided by following best practice within the industry.

Similarly, while it is accepted that problems are likely to occur in the course of a sale, these too can be minimised by following best practice.

This section deals with common problems that may occur when letting or selling a property.

This section is maintained by Peter Habert of The Property Ombudsman.

This section originates from The Property Ombudsman and constitutes its opinion based on its work as a government-approved redress provider, an approved Ombudsman scheme and Trading Standards approved Consumer Code sponsor. This material provides generic advice to help RICS members exercise their professional judgement in particular circumstances.

RICS standards: UK residential real estate agency

RICS standards: Letting of residential property in the private sector