Complaints procedure
Problems And Formal Complaints Procedure - Revised 18 September 2012
If you have a problem associated with the accommodation you are living in (or any member of the Graduate and Accommodation Office staff) please talk to a member of the office. If the problem involves a minor day-to-day repair contact the caretaker on site, anything more major should be reported as soon as possible to the Graduate Housing Office. If you have a serious problem do not hesitate to contact either the Graduate Housing Manager or the Head of University Graduate Housing straight away.
If the Office staff are unable to deal with the problem and you consider there is cause for a formal complaint, there is a procedure in place for you to use which is set out below.
Accommodation Office Complaints Procedure - Part I
This procedure is to be applied to complaints which have arisen from lettings within the properties owned or controlled by the University and used for Graduate Housing and managed by the Asset and Space Management Office (the Office).
The relationship between the University, acting as a Landlord, and their tenants on the estate is governed in the first instance by the tenancy agreement and any legislation applicable to that agreement. There will also, from time to time, be Regulations put forward by the Office which apply to property within the estate. These documents govern the relationship between the two parties.
However, where the tenancy agreement and/or Regulations do not put forward a clear solution to the problem the following procedure should be followed.
Complaints in respect of the standard of accommodation or the management of the Accommodation should be made in writing initially to the Caretaker or the Graduate Housing Office. If the complaint cannot be rectified to the satisfaction of the complainant it can be referred to the Head of University Graduate Housing.
Your letter should contain a clear statement of your concerns, including any supporting documentation and should explain how you think your complaint could be best resolved.
If you feel that the complaint has not been resolved by the above managers, or if your complaint is about them, you can complain to the Head of University Graduate Housing. Your complaint must be in writing. If your complaint is specifically about the Head of University Graduate Housing, you can complain to the Director of Asset and Space Management. If you are not happy with the reply from the Director of Asset and Space Management, you can write to the Proctors’ Office. If you are unhappy with the reply from the Proctors’ Office, you can write to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (www.oiahe.org.uk).
Should a meeting be requested then you may bring along another person to accompany you.
Who Can Complain
Only those named on the tenancy agreement tenants or ex-tenants
Accommodation Office Complaints Procedure - Part II
This procedure is to be applied to complaints which have arisen from a tenant’s use of the Asset and Space Management Office, the Graduate Housing Office or a tenant’s behaviour or actions towards a caretaker in the pursuance of his/her duties.
1. When the Office judges that its service is being abused or its staff harassed by any tenant, and this cannot be appropriately dealt with under the tenancy agreement or the Regulations then the office may either,
- report the matter to the police, or
- report the student to their College, or
- report the student or member of the University to the Proctors Office.
2. When no negotiated settlement can be reached, a final decision on the complaint will be made by the Head of University Graduate Housing or the Director of Asset and Space Management. (Thereafter there would be the normal right of appeal through the Proctor’s Office if the complainant is a member of the University.)