The Land Trust teams up with The Property Ombudsman at a time of rapid growth for Trust's service charge management

National land management charity, the Land Trust, is teaming up with The Property Ombudsman in 2021 as the organisation continues its rise as a market leader in residential service charge management.

The move comes at a time of rapid growth for the Trust’s service charge business, with the charity now having responsibility for managing public open space within nine developments on behalf of 4,500 homeowners.

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) Scheme has been providing consumers and property agents with an alternative dispute resolution service since 1990.

Land Trust Chief Executive, Euan Hall, said:

“We are really pleased to be working with The Property Ombudsman. This new partnership is the latest step in ensuring that the Land Trust continues to be considered a market leader in the service charge market.

“With 4,500 homes already under management, and another 20,000 in our development pipeline and expected to transfer in the next five years, we want this new relationship to provide confidence both to prospective clients and homeowners that we have their best interests at heart.

“We work incredibly hard to ensure the work we do serves the best interest of our customers, delivering green space around their homes which enhances physical and mental wellbeing, provides education and training opportunities, boosts the local economy and brings the new community together.

“While engaging with our communities is a huge part of what we do, ensuring they understand and have a say in how the green space around their home is managed, we recognise there may be occasions where an issue can’t be resolved. Having an independent body in place to deal with a situation like this, should it arise, will provide reassurance to our customers that we are an open and transparent organisation and one that wants to work with them positively and collaboratively.”

Property Ombudsman, Rebecca March said:

“The Land Trust’s decision to voluntarily provide access to the Property Ombudsman for unresolved issues underlines the desire to reduce gaps in redress and underpin consumer trust and confidence in the sector. We are looking forward to working with the Land Trust and its communities to ensure disputes are resolved effectively, and feeding back on issues to help the sector evolve”.