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The Property Institute (TPI) - Company Members

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Service Rules (Jan 2025)

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Summary Rules

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Objection Process Flowchart

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Adjudication Process Flowchart

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How you can bring a case

What is the Service for?

The Service is a way to identify if a TPI Company Member or TPI Associate Firm has breached TPI’s Membership Rules. If it has, it is then identified if any disciplinary action needs to be taken against that Member.

This is done by looking at the complaint you have and considering if what the Member has done, or how it has acted, is in line with TPI’s Rules.

It should be noted that this Service cannot be used to seek compensation or a resolution to the complaint itself.

When can a case be brought to the Service?

a) You must have complained formally to the Member and have attempted to resolve your complaint in accordance with TPI’s Complaints Guidance; AND

b) Any and all appropriate independent cases and investigations in respect of your complaint, whether or not such cases or investigations have been started, must have been exhausted, including any ongoing cases and investigations by:

the Ombudsman (The Property Ombudsman or Property Redress Scheme);
the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber);
the Court;
the Police; and
other authorities e.g.: (i) Health & Safety Executive; (ii) Environment Agency; (iii) Local Authorities (e.g., section 21 and 22 LTA compliance); (iv) Information Commissioner’s Office; (v) Trading Standards; (vi) Financial Conduct Authority; (vii) Competition and Markets Authority (re. competition issues); or (viii) Local fire services.

How do I apply to the Service?

To apply to use the Service, please provide your complaint details to TPI marked clearly as ‘TPI Company Member Adjudication Service’. You should also set out how you have fulfilled points a) and b) outlined under the question "When can a case be brought to the Service?".

You can do this by email to

technicaladvice@tpi.org.uk

or by post to The Property Institute, Company Member Complaint, 2-4 St George’s Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 4DP.

Your complaint details will be reviewed by TPI to initially assess whether you have complied with the requirements detailed in points a) and b) above. If these requirements have been satisfied, then TPI will provide you with a Referral Number and a CEDR application form to complete.

You will need to send to CEDR the completed application form, with the Referral Number included. Instructions of how to send this to CEDR will be on the application form.

If you require any special assistance with your application, you can contact CEDR and reasonable adjustments will be made in line with the CEDR reasonable adjustments policy, which can be found on the CEDR website.

What should I include in my application?

A description of the precise issues that form the nature of your complaint about the Member;
A description of the precise conduct by the Member that you believe to be a breach of TPI’s Rules;
A copy of the decision or outcome from the appropriate body (as set out in point b) above, under the question "When can a complaint be brought to the Service?");
Any supporting documents on which you wish to rely.

What types of matters are not suitable for the Service?

Where you have not attempted to resolve the complaint first as detailed at points a) and b) outlined under the question "When can a case be brought to the Service?";
Where the most recent alleged incident to which your complaint relates happened more than 24 months ago;
For a Member that has recently been granted membership or associate status by TPI, where the most recent alleged incident to which your complaint relates happened more than 12 months before the date on which the Member was granted membership or associate status by TPI;
Where the details of the complaint set out in your application form materially differ from the details that you provided when fulfilling points a) and b) above;
Complaints that are frivolous and/or vexatious;
Where dealing with your complaint would seriously impair the effective operation of CEDR.

The outcome

Who will decide the outcome of my case?

The adjudication will be undertaken by an independent adjudicator appointed by CEDR from its Adjudication Panel.

The appointed adjudicator will consider the information received from the Complainant and from the Member. They will then decide whether to make one or more recommendations that TPI’s Complaints Committee take disciplinary action in relation to the Member or to make no recommendation.

It is TPI’s Complaints Committee who have final say as to whether disciplinary action is taken against the Member. The CEDR adjudicator makes a recommendation only. Therefore, it is TPI’s Complaints Committee who decide the outcome of the case.

Will I see the adjudicator’s recommendation?

No. The adjudicator’s recommendation will be sent to TPI’s Complaints Committee who will consider any recommendations they have made.

It will then be TPI’s Complaints Committee who decide what disciplinary action, if any, should be taken against the Member.

TPI’s Complaints Committee will then produce a summary of the outcome of the complaint. It is this summary of the outcome that will be sent to you.

What recommendations can the adjudicator make?

The recommendations the adjudicator can make are limited to:

A letter of apology;
Training to be undertaken by the Member;
That the Member is suspended from TPI for a specified period of time;
That the Member is expelled from TPI.

Please note that the adjudicator’s role is to decide whether or not the Member has breached TPI’s Rules, and if so, whether it is appropriate to recommend disciplinary action.

The adjudicator cannot recommend that you receive any direct remedy such as compensation. Further, the adjudicator cannot reconsider any decision made by an Ombudsman, the Court, or other dispute resolution procedure.

What can the adjudicator not do?

What are the possible outcomes of my case?

It will be TPI’s Complaints Committee who have final say on the outcome of the case. They will consider the recommendations of the adjudicator and decide whether or not to implement any of the following actions:

A letter of apology;
Training to be undertaken by the Member;
That the Member is suspended from TPI for a specified period of time;
That the Member is expelled from TPI.

TPI’s Complaints committee may decide to implement more or fewer recommendations than the adjudicator has made.

Are you a business?

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