David Andrew Estates: Complaints Procedure

David Andrew is a member of The Property Ombudsman Scheme and our aim is to provide the highest standards of service to all our customers. To ensure that your interests are always safeguarded, there is a formal complaints procedure in place. This allows for the matter to be dealt with internally or, where we are unable to deal with the issue satisfactorily, it will then be referred to The Property Ombudsman.

Receiving Complaints

Complaints made in person or via the telephone need to be recorded. Once this complaint has been noted, the following process will take place: The staff member who receives a phone complaint in person or via the phone should:

Take down written details of the complaint.
Your name, address, telephone number and email will be recorded.
The nature of the complaint will be stated and you will be informed of our complaints procedure.
You will be advised on what the next steps are and how long the process will take.
If applicable, you may be asked to confirm your complaint in writing by email or post. This way you can articulate the issue in your own words.

Resolving a Complaint

Stage One:

Once a complaint has been made, the relevant staff member involved will be asked to resolve the matter. They will be expected to resolve it swiftly wherever possible. Irrespective of the outcome, the complaint will be passed on to the staff member’s line manager. Once the complaint has been received, the manager will ensure it has been recorded in the complaints register. If it has not been resolved, they will investigate further and take the appropriate action required. If the complaint relates to someone specifically, they will be duly informed and given the opportunity to respond accordingly. All complaints must be acknowledged within 3 working days. This will state who is dealing with the matter and when you can expect a reply.

We would expect you to receive a definitive response within 15 working days. If this isn’t possible because the investigation could not be concluded during this period, you will be sent a progress report with an indication as to when you can expect a full and detailed reply. Whether it is felt that the complaint is justified or not, you will still be given a full breakdown on what action has been taken to fully investigate the matter, the conclusions made and what if any, action will be taken as a result of the complaint.

Stage Two:

If, during the first step of this procedure, you do not feel that your complaint has been resolved satisfactorily, you can request that a Director intervenes. The request for a Director’s intervention will be acknowledged within 3 working days of the request. This will confirm who will be dealing with the matter and when you can expect to receive a reply, no later than within 15 working days. The Director will investigate the case themselves and may involve reviewing all the paperwork and speaking to whoever dealt with the complaint initially. If the complaint is specific to a named person, they will be informed and given the opportunity to respond accordingly.

If in the event that after the final review (as detailed above) has taken place, you are still unsatisfied, you are at liberty to have the matter referred to The Property Ombudsman. The file will then be forwarded on to The Property Ombudsman once it has been requested. You are also entitled to refer the complaint to The Property Ombudsman should we fail to deal with the matter swiftly or do not adhere to the stated in-house complaints procedure, within eight weeks of receiving your notification.

You will need to submit your complaint to The Property Ombudsman within 12 months from the date of our final viewpoint, including any evidence to support your case.

Contact details for The Property Ombudsman:

The Property Ombudsman Limited, Registered Office: Milford House | 43-55 Milford Street | Salisbury | Wiltshire | SP1 2BP | 01722 333306 | www.tpos.co.uk

Written complaints may be sent to:

David Andrew Estates,
167 Stroud Green Road,
London N4 3PZ
theo@davidandrew.co.uk

Initial complaints either made by phone or in person, can be made to any member of the David Andrew team, at the relevant office.