The Property Ombudsman has appointed a new Deputy Ombudsman, Lesley Horton, who will work alongside Property Ombudsman, Rebecca Marsh.

Lesley joins TPO as a skilled compliance and audit specialist, with invaluable experience in complex decision making and internal governance. Her positions have included several years as an Ethics and Integrity Panel Member at the Office for Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria, an Independent Decision Maker for The Bar Standards Board and an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Associate at Teal Compliance.

 
The role of Deputy Ombudsman was created in 2017 to support a more efficient complaints process. As TPO enters a period of development to support upcoming industry changes, Lesley will play a critical role in reviewing casework, helping TPO to grow its future services and streamlining existing processes to ensure consumer complaints are handled with the greatest accuracy and efficiency.

Commenting on her appointment, new Deputy Ombudsman, Lesley Horton, said:

“The property industry as a whole, and in particular estate and letting agents, are heading towards an era of change with significant legislative changes to the private rental sector and a new proposed regulatory framework on the horizon. This makes it an exciting time to be joining The Property Ombudsman, helping to support agents through the challenges and opportunities this will bring whilst, ensuring consumers have a clear route to an Ombudsman when needed.”