Complaints Procedure - Students
Complaints Procedure - Students
Why do we have a complaints procedure?
The Private Housing and Advice Team sits within the University of London’s Housing Services Department. We aim to provide you with a good quality service but we know that even in the most efficient of organisations, things can occasionally go wrong and services may not be delivered as they should be. This procedure outlines how you can get in touch with us when you have a complaint to make.
Who can complain?
The procedure is open to students who receive a service from The Private Housing and Advice Team within University of London Housing Services.
What can you complain about?
You can complain if you have experienced a problem with the service we have provided to you, including with a member of our team.
PART 1: Informal Complaints Process
If you are unhappy with an aspect of the service provided by our Private Housing and Advice Team, you should first talk to one of our Housing Advisors and, hopefully, the matter will be resolved.
You should make initial contact with the Housing Advisor as soon as possible, and within no more than 40 days of the incident that gives cause for you to complain. We will be unable to consider any complaints where the informal process has taken place outside of this period.
If you are an advice client, you will be allocated a Housing Advisor and you should address your complaint to them in the first instance. If you do not have an allocated housing advisor, please address your complaint to “Housing Advisor” and one will make contact with you.
E-mail: housing@london.ac.uk
Postal address: Housing Advisor, Private Housing and Advice Team, Residential Services, University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU, UK.
Should you remain dissatisfied after discussing the matter informally with a Housing Advisor, you will need to start the formal complaints process within 20 days of the date of that discussion.
PART 2: The Formal Complaints Process
You will need to have discussed your complaint informally with a Housing Advisor before you can make a formal complaint. If you are unhappy with the advisor’s decision, you can make a formal complaint using the procedure set out below. You will need to make your complaint in writing and follow the escalation process. Your complaint must be outlined together with the outcome sought.
If you need help to write down your complaint, please tell us and we will use reasonable efforts to make the necessary arrangements
Complaints Procedure Overview:
We treat all complaints seriously. To deal with them fairly, we have set out a number of stages that you should follow. If you miss any of the stages, you may be required to refer the complaint to the person you should have contacted in the first instance, unless we notify you that we will arrange this. This may delay the processing of your complaint.
STAGE 1
Contact the Private Housing and Advice Team Manager, within 20 days of the date of your discussion with the Housing Advisor.
You will need to outline your complaint in writing and we recommend that you attach any evidence that supports your complaint. Please send this to the relevant address below. If you would like an e-mail address, please contact us at housing@london.ac.uk and we will provide this to you.
Private Housing and Advice Team Manager, Private Housing and Advice Team, Residential Services, University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU, UK.
An acknowledgement will be sent to you following receipt of your written complaint. Your complaint will be dealt with as soon as possible, usually within 20 days of receipt by the Private Housing and Advice Team Manager. If the case is complex and more time than this is needed to consider all the facts and/or gather relevant information, you will be informed of the delay.
STAGE 2
If you are not satisfied with the Private Housing and Advice Team Manager’s decision, or your complaint is about the Private Housing and Advice Team Manager, you should contact the Head of Accommodation Services, within ten days of the date of the Private Housing and Advice Team Manager’s decision. You will need to send an outline in writing setting out your reasons for being unhappy with the outcome of Stage 1 (or where applicable, setting out your complaint about the Private Housing and Advice Team Manager) Please send this to the relevant address below. If you would like an e-mail address, please contact us at housing@london.ac.uk and we will provide this to you.
Head of Accommodation Services, Private Housing and Advice Team, Residential Services, University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU, UK.
An acknowledgement will be sent to you following receipt of your communication. Your complaint will be dealt with as soon as possible, usually within 20 days of receipt by the Head of Accommodation Services. If the case is complex and more time than this is needed to consider all the facts and/or gather the information, you will be informed of the delay.
STAGE 3 – REVIEW STAGE
The purpose of this stage is to review the process to ensure that appropriate procedures were followed and that the
decision made was reasonable.
If you are not satisfied with the Head of Accommodation Services’ decision, you should send your written complaint to the Director of Residential Accommodation, within ten days of the date of the Head of Accommodation Services’ decision. You will need to outline your reasons for being unhappy with the outcome of your complaint resulting from the above process. Please send this to the relevant address below. If you would like an e-mail address, please contact us at housing@london.ac.uk and we will provide this to you.
Director of Residential Accommodation, University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU.
An acknowledgement will be sent to you following receipt of your communication, and in most cases you will be informed of the final outcome within 20 days of receipt of your complaint by the Director of Residential Accommodation.
If your complaint is not upheld, you will be issued with a completion of procedures letter together with our final outcome letter.
What if I remain unhappy?
The procedure detailed above completes the University’s consideration of a student’s complaint relating to the Private Housing and Advice Service. Attention is drawn, however, to the procedures of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIAHE). The OIAHE provides an independent student complaints scheme in England and Wales for the review of student complaints about a final decision of a University’s disciplinary or complaints appeal body.
The OIAHE:
• Review unresolved complaints from students about their higher education provider. Where they find that the provider has done something wrong, they make recommendations for them to put things right;
• Share learning from complaints to help improve policies and practices across the higher education sector;
• Work with others and contribute to the development of policy, both in the wider regulatory framework for higher education and in the ombuds sector
The OIAHE are a registered charity and a company by limited guarantee. They have been approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute as the consumer Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) body for higher education.
Full details of the OIAHE and how to make a complaint are available from the Academic Registrar of the University or on the website of the OIAHE http://oiahe.org.uk
The postal address is:
Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education
Second Floor, Abbey Gate, 57-75 Kings Gate, Reading, RG1 3AB.
Telephone 0118 959 9813.
Please note that the OIAHE process is only for students.
Last updated October 2019
Why do we have a complaints procedure?
The Private Housing and Advice Team sits within the University of London’s Housing Services Department. We aim to provide you with a good quality service but we know that even in the most efficient of organisations, things can occasionally go wrong and services may not be delivered as they should be. This procedure outlines how you can get in touch with us when you have a complaint to make.
Who can complain?
The procedure is open to students who receive a service from The Private Housing and Advice Team within University of London Housing Services.
What can you complain about?
You can complain if you have experienced a problem with the service we have provided to you, including with a member of our team.
PART 1: Informal Complaints Process
If you are unhappy with an aspect of the service provided by our Private Housing and Advice Team, you should first talk to one of our Housing Advisors and, hopefully, the matter will be resolved.
You should make initial contact with the Housing Advisor as soon as possible, and within no more than 40 days of the incident that gives cause for you to complain. We will be unable to consider any complaints where the informal process has taken place outside of this period.
If you are an advice client, you will be allocated a Housing Advisor and you should address your complaint to them in the first instance. If you do not have an allocated housing advisor, please address your complaint to “Housing Advisor” and one will make contact with you.
E-mail: housing@london.ac.uk
Postal address: Housing Advisor, Private Housing and Advice Team, Residential Services, University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU, UK.
Should you remain dissatisfied after discussing the matter informally with a Housing Advisor, you will need to start the formal complaints process within 20 days of the date of that discussion.
PART 2: The Formal Complaints Process
You will need to have discussed your complaint informally with a Housing Advisor before you can make a formal complaint. If you are unhappy with the advisor’s decision, you can make a formal complaint using the procedure set out below. You will need to make your complaint in writing and follow the escalation process. Your complaint must be outlined together with the outcome sought.
If you need help to write down your complaint, please tell us and we will use reasonable efforts to make the necessary arrangements
Complaints Procedure Overview:
We treat all complaints seriously. To deal with them fairly, we have set out a number of stages that you should follow. If you miss any of the stages, you may be required to refer the complaint to the person you should have contacted in the first instance, unless we notify you that we will arrange this. This may delay the processing of your complaint.
STAGE 1
Contact the Private Housing and Advice Team Manager, within 20 days of the date of your discussion with the Housing Advisor.
You will need to outline your complaint in writing and we recommend that you attach any evidence that supports your complaint. Please send this to the relevant address below. If you would like an e-mail address, please contact us at housing@london.ac.uk and we will provide this to you.
Private Housing and Advice Team Manager, Private Housing and Advice Team, Residential Services, University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU, UK.
An acknowledgement will be sent to you following receipt of your written complaint. Your complaint will be dealt with as soon as possible, usually within 20 days of receipt by the Private Housing and Advice Team Manager. If the case is complex and more time than this is needed to consider all the facts and/or gather relevant information, you will be informed of the delay.
STAGE 2
If you are not satisfied with the Private Housing and Advice Team Manager’s decision, or your complaint is about the Private Housing and Advice Team Manager, you should contact the Head of Accommodation Services, within ten days of the date of the Private Housing and Advice Team Manager’s decision. You will need to send an outline in writing setting out your reasons for being unhappy with the outcome of Stage 1 (or where applicable, setting out your complaint about the Private Housing and Advice Team Manager) Please send this to the relevant address below. If you would like an e-mail address, please contact us at housing@london.ac.uk and we will provide this to you.
Head of Accommodation Services, Private Housing and Advice Team, Residential Services, University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU, UK.
An acknowledgement will be sent to you following receipt of your communication. Your complaint will be dealt with as soon as possible, usually within 20 days of receipt by the Head of Accommodation Services. If the case is complex and more time than this is needed to consider all the facts and/or gather the information, you will be informed of the delay.
STAGE 3 – REVIEW STAGE
The purpose of this stage is to review the process to ensure that appropriate procedures were followed and that the
decision made was reasonable.
If you are not satisfied with the Head of Accommodation Services’ decision, you should send your written complaint to the Director of Residential Accommodation, within ten days of the date of the Head of Accommodation Services’ decision. You will need to outline your reasons for being unhappy with the outcome of your complaint resulting from the above process. Please send this to the relevant address below. If you would like an e-mail address, please contact us at housing@london.ac.uk and we will provide this to you.
Director of Residential Accommodation, University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU.
An acknowledgement will be sent to you following receipt of your communication, and in most cases you will be informed of the final outcome within 20 days of receipt of your complaint by the Director of Residential Accommodation.
If your complaint is not upheld, you will be issued with a completion of procedures letter together with our final outcome letter.
What if I remain unhappy?
The procedure detailed above completes the University’s consideration of a student’s complaint relating to the Private Housing and Advice Service. Attention is drawn, however, to the procedures of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIAHE). The OIAHE provides an independent student complaints scheme in England and Wales for the review of student complaints about a final decision of a University’s disciplinary or complaints appeal body.
The OIAHE:
• Review unresolved complaints from students about their higher education provider. Where they find that the provider has done something wrong, they make recommendations for them to put things right;
• Share learning from complaints to help improve policies and practices across the higher education sector;
• Work with others and contribute to the development of policy, both in the wider regulatory framework for higher education and in the ombuds sector
The OIAHE are a registered charity and a company by limited guarantee. They have been approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute as the consumer Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) body for higher education.
Full details of the OIAHE and how to make a complaint are available from the Academic Registrar of the University or on the website of the OIAHE http://oiahe.org.uk
The postal address is:
Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education
Second Floor, Abbey Gate, 57-75 Kings Gate, Reading, RG1 3AB.
Telephone 0118 959 9813.
Please note that the OIAHE process is only for students.
Last updated October 2019