We also encourage you to source independent advice prior to raising a complaint from sources such as:

• The Leasehold Advisory Service
• The Citizen Advice Bureau

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the informal approach, or you feel it may be inappropriate please follow the steps of our formal complaints procedure as follows in this procedure.

We welcome all constructive feedback and use your comments and complaints as a means to highlight areas which we will endeavour to pay special attention to, to ensure we are providing the highest level of customer service possible.

You can raise a complaint through our formal channel, by completing our complaints form. The form must be complete to ensure we gain a full understanding of the reason for your complaint.

Our first stage complaints handler will consider your complaint as quickly as possible, and will:

• Acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 7 working days of receipt
• Advise if unable to provide a response within 28 working days

We will keep written details of our investigations, and create a ‘case-file’ to include all correspondence, emails and telephone/meeting attendance notes.

Responses will be in writing and will include the complaint handler’s decision and reasons for the decision.

Stage two:

Independent redress.

If you are a customer and not satisfied with the decision made following stage one of our in-house complaint procedure (or more than 8 weeks has elapsed since the complaint was first made), you can take the matter up with The Property Redress Scheme (or your chosen approved scheme) without charge.

If you are a commercial client, The Neutral Evaluation Procedure is a business-to-business ADR mechanism.

Neutral Evaluation is a private and non-binding technique whereby a third party, usually a judge or someone legally qualified, gives an opinion on the likely outcome at trial as a basis for settlement discussions.

RICS firms can opt to use this redress scheme on an ad-hoc basis if disputes arise.