Complaints

Residential Tenants Association is committed to providing a quality service and working in an open and accountable way that builds trust and respect. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our service is by listening and responding to the views of our clients, and in particular by responding positively to complaints, and by putting mistakes right.

Therefore we aim to ensure that:

• making a compliment or complaint is as easy as possible
• we welcome compliments, feedback and suggestions
• we treat a complaint as a clear expression of dissatisfaction with our service which calls for an immediate response
• we deal with it promptly, politely and, when appropriate, confidentially
• we respond in the right way – for example, with an explanation, or an apology where we have got things wrong, or information on any action taken etc.
• we learn from complaints, use them to improve our service, and review annually our complaints policy and procedures
• We recognise that many concerns will be raised informally and dealt with quickly

Our aims are to:

• Resolve informal concerns quickly
• Keep matters low-key
• Enable mediation between the complainant and the individual to whom the complaint has been referred

⁠2. Definitions

A compliment is an expression of satisfaction about the standard of service we provide.

A complaint is defined as any expression of dissatisfaction; however, it is expressed. This would include complaints expressed face to face, via a phone call, in writing, via email or any other method. All staff should have sufficient knowledge to be able to identify an “expression of dissatisfaction” even when the word “complain”, or “complaint” is not used.

3. Complaints

The formal complaints procedure is intended to ensure that all complaints are handled fairly, consistently and wherever possible resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction.

4. Responsibilities

We will:

• Acknowledge the formal complaint in writing.
• Respond within a stated period of time.     
•  Deal reasonably and sensitively with the complaint; and     
• Take action where appropriate.
• A complainant’s (your) responsibility is to: 
• Bring their complaint, in writing, to Any Claims attention normally within 2 weeks of the issue arising.         
• Raise concerns promptly and directly with a member of staff.      
• Explain the problem as clearly and as fully as possible, including any action taken to date.       
  
• Allow us a reasonable time to deal with the matter, and
• Recognise that some circumstances may be beyond our control.

5. Confidentiality

Except in exceptional circumstances, every attempt will be made to ensure that both us and the complainant (you) maintain confidentiality. However, the circumstances giving rise to the complaint may be such that it may not be possible to maintain confidentiality (with each complaint judged on its own facts). Should this be the case, the situation will be explained to the complainant (you).

6. Complaints Procedure

Written records will be made by us at each stage of the procedure.

Stage. 1
In the first instance, you are asked to discuss your complaint informally with a staff member who will establish the seriousness of the complaint. If your concerns cannot be satisfactorily resolved informally, then the formal complaints procedure should be followed.

Stage. 2
If the complaint cannot be resolved informally, you will be advised that a formal complaint may be made, and the following procedure will be explained to you.

a) A formal complaint can be made either verbally or in writing. If in writing, it should be sent via email to support@therta.co.uk. If verbally, a statement will be taken by a member of the staff.

b) In all cases, the complaint will be dealt with by our staff members.

c) Our staff will investigate the complaint. Any conclusions reached should be discussed with any other relevant staff members involved.

d) You will receive a response based on the investigation within four weeks of the complaint being received. If this is not possible, and the investigations are still ongoing, please allow us time to complete our investigations before responding to you.

Stage. 3
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a) If you are not satisfied with the above decision, then you can outline a clear rebuttal to the our staff members.

b) Our staff members will examine the complaint and may wish to carry out further interviews, examine files / notes. They will respond within four weeks in writing or anytime beyond that if they need further time to investigate and come to a conclusion. Their written decision will be final.

Stage. 4
If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can make a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) – https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/make-complaint within the Privacy Policy Point 5 & 6 to whom will you be passing the data to and how it will be used.

Please include:

By providing your information, you consent to it being shared with the Residential Tenants Association (RTA), a domain operated by BLG Legal Ltd. The RTA may use your details to contact you with further marketing communications. Additionally, the RTA will use your information to gather the necessary details to support claims such as tenancy deposit disputes, Environmental Protection Act (EPA) claims in magistrates’ courts, or civil housing disrepair claims. As part of this process, we may contact your landlord or property manager on your behalf.

Your information may also be shared with solicitors or barristers we deem appropriate to represent you in pursuing these claims. While we primarily work with Elite Barristers, your case may be referred to other qualified legal professionals if necessary. BLG Legal Ltd may receive a percentage of the legal fees paid to the barrister or solicitor handling your claim or be compensated upfront for facilitating this connection.