Complaints Handling Procedure
As a firm we are regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in order to ensure satisfactory protection for our clients in the event of a complaint on any matter relating to the firm’s work.
These procedures are governed under the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Bye Laws and in accordance with the RICS Rules of Conduct and the regulations issued by the Institution from time to time.
If you have a complaint this note sets out the procedure which we will follow in dealing with it. The procedure complies fully with the requirements of the Institution and our own desire to ensure it is dealt with quickly and satisfactorily.
Our Complaints Handling Procedure has two stages:
- Stage One gives our organisation the opportunity to review and consider your complaint in full and we will try to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction. If you are not content with our responses then you will have the opportunity of taking your complaint to Stage Two.
- Stage Two gives you as the Client, the opportunity to have your complaint reviewed and considered by an independent redress provider, approved by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
STAGE ONE
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- A person has been appointed in this office to deal with complaints and you should not hesitate to contact the relevant person. Details are set out below:-
Deborah C Goodland BSc (Hons) FRICS IRRV
Walton Goodland Ltd
10 Lowther Street
Carlisle
CA3 8DA
Telephone: 01228 514199
Fax: 01228 594303
- A person has been appointed in this office to deal with complaints and you should not hesitate to contact the relevant person. Details are set out below:-
- Where your complaint is made orally you will be requested to send a written summary of your complaint to the person dealing with it.
- Once we have received your written summary of the complaint we will contact you in writing within seven days to inform you of our understanding of the circumstances leading to your complaint. You will be invited to make any comments that you may have in relation to this.
- Within twenty-one days of receipt of your written summary the person dealing with your complaint will write to you in order to inform you of the outcome of the investigation into your complaint and to let you know what actions have been or will be taken.
- If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our handling of your complaint you have the right to a separate review by an appropriately qualified person at mediation where both parties agree in accordance with the Model Remediation Procedure developed by the Centre for Dispute Resolution (CEDR) or the mediation process operated by the Dispute Resolution Service of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors would be available.
STAGE TWO
If you remain dissatisfied with the result of the internal investigation, or where the separate review or mediation has proved unsuccessful, you may have your complaint referred to the Surveyors Arbitration Scheme or to another scheme approved by the Institution under which a complaint may be resolved quickly and with minimum formality by an independent person. The Surveyors Arbitration Scheme is operated by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, 24 Angel Gate, City Road, London, EC1V 2RS, from whom details of the Scheme may be obtained.
We would draw your attention to the following consumer address schemes:
Ombudsman Services:
Property (OS:P) formally known as the Surveyors Ombudsman Service is free to consumers and can consider any consumer complaints.
Contact details are:
Ombudsman Services: Property, PO Box 1021, Warrington, WA4 9FE. Tel: 0330 440 1634;
Email: enquiries@os-property.org and www.ombudsman-services.org.
The Financial Ombudsman Service is free to consumers and can consider complaints under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and the Consumer Credit Act 2006.
Contact details are:
Financial Ombudsman Service, South View Plaza, 183 Marshwall, London, E14 9SR.
Email: Complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk and www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.