AIPP HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?
How can
we help you?
From setting professional standards to stepping
in if things go wrong, AIPP can be a valuable
resource for buyers
Over the last few years, the AIPP has
been raising awareness of its work
with consumers, and has helped many
buyers in the UK and Ireland with their
purchase of property overseas. This has
ranged from independent guidance on
the practical aspects of buying abroad
to valuable help and assistance when
– as will sometimes be the case – things
haven’t gone to plan.
An important aspect of the AIPP’s work
is to help educate the consumer. If the
buyer is informed, has sought the right
advice, and approaches their purchase
with their eyes open, they can signifi cantly
reduce the chances of problems occurring
down the road. Throughout this guide, and
on the AIPP’s website, you’ll fi nd lots of
useful advice to help you along the way.
Central to the AIPP’s role is the Code
6 AIPP CONSUMER GUIDE
of Conduct that AIPP Members must
follow, and the associated Disciplinary
Procedure which can be invoked if a
Member’s conduct is called into question.
“If you have a problem with an AIPP
Member, we would always recommend
trying fi rst to resolve this directly,” explains
AIPP’s Chief Executive Paul Owen. “But,
if you don’t feel happy with the outcome
of your complaint to them, you can
raise a complaint to the AIPP. We have a
Disciplinary Procedure in place, and any
formal complaint made about an AIPP
Member will be subject to this procedure.
We always try to help resolve complaints
fi rst through mediation, and where that’s
not possible, consumers have recourse to
our Disciplinary Tribunals.”
The AIPP has helped achieve mediated
resolutions in many complaint cases,
sometimes with agreed fi nancial
settlements (totalling over £250,000
to date).
“AIPP cannot order fi nancial redress
for consumers. However, our mediation
process has proved very successful in
bringing resolutions to complaints in
circumstances where, without the AIPP,
consumers would have had nowhere else
to turn.”
A key requirement in achieving its aims
is that the Association must have teeth.
The industry demands an Association
that is able and willing to take action
against its own Members, when those
companies have acted outside of the
professional standards expected of
it. “Several companies have been
expelled from membership as a result of
disciplinary investigations,” says Owen.
To view a Ceros magazine you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser and have the flash player 8 or higher installed. To install the latest flash player, click the icon above, install the flash plugin and then click here to refresh this page.