Oakleigh Properties Complaints Procedure

We would like to ensure that our complaints process is fair and helpful to you, and to us. If you feel you have been treated unfairly, then please let us know. We will aim to resolve this as quickly and as amicably as possible, for both parties.

All complaints will be taken seriously as these will enable us to learn lessons as to how things could have been done differently, and to help improve communications and procedures in the future.

What is a complaint?

A complaint is any expression of disappointment or unhappiness about the way you have been treated. For example you will be entitled to complain:

• If you feel you have been treated unfairly by Oakleigh Properties/Oakleigh Blue.
• If you feel you have not had the appropriate support of a member of our staff or treated inappropriately.
• If you feel there has been a breakdown in communication that can’t be resolved by yourselves.
• If you feel Oakleigh Properties/Oakleigh Blue has not acted (as stated in our literature) on your behalf.

Complaints not covered by this procedure

It will not be possible to take complaints through this procedure if:

• They are submitted more than 1 month after the event being complained of.
• They are submitted anonymously (although if appropriate we may still investigate).
• The complaint concerns matters of hearsay from a third party (although if appropriate we may still investigate).

Informal Complaints Procedure

We will only consider your initial complaint. You may not add additional items to a complaint as it progresses through the stages. Any new complaint if not relevant to the ongoing one must be logged as a new one.

You may wish to raise a problem or issue you are experiencing, but at this time you may not want to use the formal complaints process, but simply want a quiet solution to the problem.

Once you have raised this matter with our appointed member of staff, they will make all possible efforts to resolve the matter at this early stage via mediation. It is sometimes more appropriate to discuss these matters with yourself in person or by telephone rather than to communicate in writing. If this is your wish and the wish of the office then we will make this process available to you.

Your issues will be logged onto our informal complaints database which will create a reference number. All communication notes will be logged onto this and included in your file. You will be informed of the outcome via email. At every stage, we keep records about your complaint to make sure we deal with it as efficiently as we can.

We hope to deal with the majority of complaints in this way. However we appreciate that you may be unhappy with the outcome or have a complaint of a more serious nature, for which the formal complaints procedure may be more appropriate.

Formal Complaints Procedure

Stage One

We would ask that you put your formal complaint in writing to the Oakleigh Properties Office. It will then be logged onto our database and within 2 working days you will receive a written acknowledgement via email advising you of who will be dealing with the complaint.

The appointed member of staff will investigate the complaint and will issue a final decision within 15 working days of the initial receipt of the complaint if possible. If it is a member our staff you are making the complaint against, and by chance the member of staff you are complaining about is away or temporarily unavailable, the investigation may take longer and you will be informed via email. If the complaint is complex then this may also take longer and again you will be informed via email.

If deemed appropriate then mediation can be arranged to help resolve the complaint. A report of the mediation and outcome will be kept on both parties files.

Stage Two

If your original complaint is unresolved at Stage One or you remain unsatisfied, you may wish to pursue it further to Stage Two. Should you decide to do this then a request must be made in writing within 3 weeks of the final Stage One decision.

The Director of Oakleigh Properties will then investigate the complaint and will issue a decision in writing, within 10 working days of initial receipt of the Stage Two request. This decision will be final as every effort will have been made to investigate thoroughly and resolve your complaint.

Once again every effort will be made to bring the complaint to a satisfactory conclusion for both parties.

All relevant correspondence and information will be kept on your file.

Stage Three

If, after going through two stages of our complaints procedure, you are still dissatisfied, you can contact the Property Ombudsman. The Ombudsman should be written to at the address below:

Telephone: 01722 333306
Website: www.tpos.co.uk

Normally, the Ombudsman will only deal with your case if you have followed all the stages of our procedure.