How to Write a Formal Complaint About a Letting Agent UK: A Complete Guide

Letting agents are legally required to belong to a government-approved redress scheme. That means when something goes wrong, you have a formal route to an independent body that can investigate your complaint, tell the agent to put things right and award you compensation. But that route is only available once you have made a formal written complaint to the agent directly and given them a chance to respond.

This guide explains how to write that complaint letter, what to include, how the redress scheme process works, what you can and cannot complain about, and what to do if the agent fails to engage.

Why Letting Agents Must Be Members of a Redress Scheme

Since October 2014, all letting agents and property management agents in England are legally required to be members of a government-approved redress scheme. This obligation applies regardless of whether they act for landlords, tenants or both. An agent that is not a member of a scheme can be fined up to £5,000 by the local council.

There are two approved schemes. The Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme. Every letting agent must belong to one of them. The agent is required to display which scheme they belong to in their offices and on their website. If you are not sure which scheme your agent belongs to, check their website, ask them directly, or use the National Trading Standards estate and letting agent checker.

Both schemes offer a free, independent complaints resolution service for consumers. If they uphold your complaint, they can direct the agent to apologise, change their practices, or pay you compensation. In 2023 the Property Ombudsman supported 68 percent of lettings cases brought by consumers. Complaints are worth making when they are justified.

What You Can Complain About

Redress schemes deal with complaints about how a letting agent has handled their professional obligations. Common grounds include:

• Failure to pass on rent payments promptly or accurately

• Unauthorised deductions from your deposit or failure to protect it in a government-approved scheme

• Misleading descriptions of the property in marketing materials

• Failure to carry out agreed repairs or maintenance in a timely way

• Poor communication, including failure to respond to reasonable requests

• Charging fees that were not clearly disclosed in advance

• Mishandling a check-in or check-out inventory

• Failure to serve legally required notices correctly

• Unprofessional conduct by staff

• Failure to follow the agent’s own complaints procedure

There are also things redress schemes cannot deal with. They cannot give a legal ruling on whether a contract has been breached, cannot order a landlord to carry out repairs if the agent is not responsible for repairs under the management agreement, and cannot deal with disputes that are fundamentally between you and your landlord rather than you and the agent. If your complaint is primarily about your landlord’s conduct, a different route applies.

Tip: If you are unsure whether your complaint falls within the redress scheme’s scope, check the scheme’s website before writing your letter. Both schemes publish guidance on what they can and cannot consider.

The Two-Stage Process: Agent First, Then the Scheme

Before either redress scheme will consider your complaint, you must first make a formal written complaint to the letting agent and give them a reasonable opportunity to respond. This is a requirement of both schemes, not an optional step.

The process works as follows. First, you send a formal written complaint to the agent. They should acknowledge it promptly and provide a full response. If they resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, the matter ends there. If they do not resolve it, or if eight weeks pass without a satisfactory final response, you can then take your complaint to the redress scheme. You must do so within 12 months of receiving the agent’s final response.

This means your written complaint letter to the agent is the document that starts the formal process and that you will need to provide to the scheme when you escalate. Getting it right from the outset matters.

Before You Write: What to Prepare

A well-evidenced complaint is taken more seriously and is harder to dismiss. Before you write anything, gather the following:

• Your tenancy agreement and any addenda or side letters

• The agent’s terms of business or management agreement

• All correspondence with the agent, including emails, messages and letters

• Receipts, bank statements or other records of any payments or deductions in dispute

• Photographs of any relevant condition issues with date stamps

• The property inventory if it is relevant to your complaint

• Any advertising materials that you believe were misleading

• A written log of any verbal conversations, including dates and what was said

Write out a clear chronology of events before you begin drafting the letter. When did the problem start? What did you do about it? What did the agent say or do in response? What happened next? A chronological account is the most readable and convincing way to present a complaint.

How to Structure Your Formal Complaint Letter

Address It Correctly

Send the letter to the letting agent’s complaints manager or branch manager, not to the member of staff you have been dealing with if that relationship has broken down. Most agents are required to have a written complaints procedure. If yours does, follow it. If you cannot find it, ask for it in writing before or at the same time as submitting your complaint.

State That This Is a Formal Complaint

Use those words in the opening sentence and in the subject line. This is not pedantry. It determines how the letter is processed and triggers the agent’s obligation to follow their complaints procedure.

Set Out the Background Clearly

Describe the tenancy, the property address and your relationship with the agent. Then describe the events in chronological order, as specifically as possible. Include dates, what was said, what was agreed and what happened. Reference any documents or correspondence you are attaching.

State Your Specific Grounds for Complaint

After the background, state clearly what the agent did wrong. Reference their obligations under their own terms of business, any relevant legislation, or the applicable redress scheme’s code of practice if you are aware of it. Be specific and factual. Avoid general expressions of dissatisfaction.

Describe the Impact

Explain what the agent’s failure has cost you or caused you. Financial loss, wasted time, stress, disruption to your tenancy. If you have incurred costs as a direct result of the agent’s conduct, set them out and quantify them.

State What You Want

Tell the agent exactly what outcome you are looking for. An apology, a refund of a specific amount, repair of a specific issue, a change to their practice. The clearer your request, the harder it is for them to provide a response that does not address it.

Reference the Redress Scheme

Close by noting that if the complaint is not resolved satisfactorily, you are aware of your right to escalate to the relevant redress scheme. Name the scheme the agent belongs to. This is not a threat. It is accurate information and it signals that you are informed about the process.

Full Worked Example

[Your name]

[Your address]

[Your email and telephone]

[Date]

The Complaints Manager

[Letting agent name]

[Letting agent address]

Subject: Formal Complaint – [Property address] – [Brief description of issue]

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to make a formal complaint about the conduct of [agent name] in connection with my tenancy at [property address], which began on [date].

Background

On [date] I signed a tenancy agreement for [property address] through [agent name]. Under the terms of the management agreement, [agent name] is responsible for [describe what the agent manages, e.g. collecting rent, coordinating repairs, managing the property on behalf of the landlord].

On [date] I reported [describe the problem clearly, e.g. a water leak from the bathroom ceiling] to [agent name] by email. A copy of that email is attached as Exhibit A. I received no acknowledgement. On [date] I followed up by telephone and was told the matter would be passed to the maintenance team. As of the date of this letter, [X weeks/months later], no repair has been carried out and I have received no further communication about the matter.

[Describe any additional incidents or failures in the same chronological way, referencing attached documents where relevant.]

Grounds for complaint

I believe [agent name] has failed in the following respects. First, they have not passed on my repair request to the landlord or arranged for it to be attended to within a reasonable timeframe, contrary to their obligations under our management agreement and their duty to act with reasonable skill and care. Second, they have failed to communicate with me about the status of the repair despite two follow-up contacts, leaving me without any indication of when the matter will be addressed.

Impact

The unresolved leak has caused [describe the practical impact: water damage to my bedroom ceiling / mould developing on the wall / damage to my personal belongings]. I have been unable to use the affected room normally for [time period]. I have attached photographs taken on [date] showing the extent of the damage.

What I am requesting

I am requesting that [agent name]: arranges for the repair to be carried out within [14] days of this letter; provides written confirmation of when the work will take place; and explains why my original report was not acted on within a reasonable time.

[If financial compensation is relevant: I am also requesting that [agent name] considers compensation for the damage caused to my property as a result of the delay, the value of which I estimate at [amount] based on [the attached replacement receipts / a quote from a local retailer].]

I expect [agent name] to acknowledge this complaint and to provide a full written response within eight weeks. If this matter is not resolved to my satisfaction, I will refer my complaint to [The Property Ombudsman / Property Redress Scheme], of which I understand [agent name] to be a member.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]

[Signature]

Attachments: [list all attached documents]

If the Agent Does Not Respond or the Complaint Is Not Resolved

Once you have made a formal written complaint, the agent should acknowledge it and provide a full response. If eight weeks pass without a satisfactory final response, or if they provide a final response that does not resolve your complaint, you can take the matter to the relevant redress scheme.

If your agent belongs to The Property Ombudsman, you can submit your complaint via their website at tpos.co.uk. If your agent belongs to the Property Redress Scheme, you can submit via propertyredress.co.uk. Both schemes are free for consumers. You will need to provide your formal complaint letter, the agent’s final response or evidence that eight weeks have passed, and all supporting evidence.

You must refer your complaint to the scheme within 12 months of receiving the agent’s final response. Do not wait. Shelter’s guidance on letting agent redress schemes explains the process clearly and is worth reading before you submit, to make sure your complaint falls within the scheme’s scope.

Deposit Disputes: A Separate Route

If your complaint is specifically about your tenancy deposit, the deposit scheme that holds it has its own dispute resolution service, which is separate from the letting agent redress schemes. All deposits for assured shorthold tenancies must be protected in one of three government-approved schemes: the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits, or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Each has its own alternative dispute resolution process, which is free and must be used before any court action.

If your complaint covers both a deposit dispute and other conduct by the agent, you can pursue both routes simultaneously, but keep them clearly separate in your correspondence so each body can assess its own jurisdiction.

What the Redress Scheme Can Award

If the scheme upholds your complaint, it can direct the agent to take specific remedial action, provide you with a written apology, or pay you compensation. The Property Ombudsman’s average compensation awards in lettings cases are between £300 and £600, though awards can be higher in cases involving significant financial loss. The purpose of an award is to put you back in the position you would have been in if the agent had not acted as they did.

The scheme’s decision is binding on the agent. If the agent fails to comply with an award, they can be expelled from the scheme, which means they are no longer able to operate legally as a letting agent in England. This gives the scheme real teeth.

Common Reasons Complaints Fail

• The complaint was not made in writing first. The scheme requires you to have given the agent a formal written opportunity to respond. A verbal complaint or an informal email does not satisfy this.

• The complaint was referred too late. You have 12 months from the agent’s final response to refer to the scheme. Missing that window closes the route entirely.

• The complaint is about the landlord, not the agent. Redress schemes deal with agent conduct. If the underlying failure is the landlord’s decision or inaction, and the agent has followed their instructions correctly, the scheme may not uphold the complaint.

• There is insufficient evidence. Schemes decide on the basis of documentary evidence. A complaint that relies on verbal accounts with no written backup is much harder to uphold than one supported by dated emails, photographs and records.

• Court action has been started. Both schemes will not deal with a complaint if court proceedings have been issued in relation to the same matter. Choose your route before starting any legal action.

Getting Help

Free advice on letting agent complaints and your rights as a tenant is available from Shelter and Citizens Advice. Both organisations can advise on whether your complaint falls within the scope of the redress schemes, how to frame your letter and what to do if the agent does not respond. If your complaint involves a significant amount of money or potential legal action, a housing solicitor can advise on your options.

If you want help drafting a formal complaint letter that is clearly structured, references the right grounds and gives the redress scheme the evidence it needs to act, the team at LetterLab can help you get it right before you send it.

Checklist: Before You Send Your Complaint Letter

1. Does the subject line and opening sentence use the words ‘formal complaint’?

2. Have you identified the correct complaints manager or branch manager to address it to?

3. Is the background set out in chronological order with specific dates and references to attached documents?

4. Have you stated the specific grounds for complaint, not just a general expression of dissatisfaction?

5. Have you described the impact on you, including any financial loss?

6. Have you stated clearly what outcome you are requesting?

7. Have you named the redress scheme the agent belongs to in your closing paragraph?

8. Have you attached all supporting evidence and listed the attachments at the end of the letter?

9. Are you sending it by email with read receipt or recorded post so you have proof of delivery and a dated record?

10. Have you kept a copy of the letter and noted the date you sent it?

The Key Takeaway: Write It Formally, Evidence It Thoroughly, Follow Through

Letting agents are accountable to redress schemes that have real power to direct them to put things right and pay compensation. But that accountability only kicks in once you have made a formal written complaint and given the agent a chance to respond. Your complaint letter is not just a way of expressing dissatisfaction. It is the document that opens the formal process and that the scheme will assess when you escalate.

Write it with the scheme in mind from the beginning. Make it specific, factual and evidenced. State clearly what went wrong, what it cost you and what you want. Then follow through if the agent does not engage properly. The redress route exists for exactly this situation and it is free to use.