Complaints Procedure

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Home Estate Agents has a formal complaints procedure, which is explained below:

1. If you have a problem relating to Home Estate Agents, please discuss this with one of our branch staff. Our aim is to deal with your problem sympathetically, fairly and quickly;

2. If the response by our branch staff does not resolve the matter to your satisfaction, you can ask for the complaint to be referred to our Managing Director; alternatively you can write to him: Mr MW Taylor, Managing Director, Home Estate Agents, 66, Sankey Street, Warrington, WA1 1SB. Your letter should state why you are still dissatisfied and what further action you wish Home Estate Agents to take to fully resolve your complaint. A letter of acknowledgement will be sent to you within 3 working days. It will also:

• Set out our understanding of your complaint, and
• State when we will be able to reply in greater detail

You may also be asked for additional information if this is required to assist in resolving the matter. The Managing Director will fully investigate your complaint and a formal written outcome of the investigation will be sent to you within 15 working days;

3. In all but exceptional cases, by the end of five weeks following receipt of your complaint, Home Estate Agents will have given you its final response by a letter from the Managing Director. This will be accompanied by The Property Ombudsman Consumer Guide;

4. If you are still not satisfied with the steps taken by Home Estate Agents, you can write to: The Property Ombudsman, Milford House, 43-55 Milford Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 2BP (Telephone 01722 333306 or e-mail admin@tpos.co.uk);

5. The Property Ombudsman will consider your complaint, taking in to account any points made by you and Home Estate Agents. The Property Ombudsman may, however, refuse to investigate a complaint where your issue refers to something that happened more than 12 months before you complained in writing to the Member Agency, or you referred your complaint to The Property Ombudsman more than six months after you received the Member Agency’s final offer of settlement or answer;

6. The Property Ombudsman’s Office may try to settle the dispute by agreement between you and Home Estate Agents. If this is unsuccessful, The Property Ombudsman will consider all the relevant factors and make a decision according to what he believes to be fair in all the circumstances;

7. The Property Ombudsman will send his decision to you and Home Estate Agents. You can accept or reject his decision. If you reject the Property Ombudsman's decision, it will lapse and you are free to do as you wish. If you wish to take legal action, you can do so. Your legal rights will not have been affected by The Property Ombudsman's decision;