At Newlands of Stow, we value all feedback – whether it’s a complaint, concern, suggestion, or compliment. Your views help us maintain and improve the quality of our services.

If you’ve experienced something positive, we’d love to hear about it. Compliments can be shared with any member of the team, submitted through our website, or sent to [email protected]. Your kind words go a long way in encouraging and recognising our team members.

Complaints Handling Procedure

As a company we welcome all feedback, positive or negative. A customer, resident, relative or visitor who wishes to make a complaint, register a concern, or even offer a compliment, should find it simple to do so. We treat all feedback seriously, review it, and use it to learn, adapt, improve and provide a better service to all involved in our villages.

Our procedure for handling written complaints is set out below. If you are not able to put your complaint in writing, we will note down your concerns and ask you to confirm that we have described them accurately.

We define a complaint as ‘an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by us, our own colleagues, or those acting on our behalf.’ A complaint is distinct from a service request where you simply ask us to take action to put something right. However, any dissatisfaction with how we handle a service request will then be treated as a complaint.

We will not treat you any differently if you make a complaint.

Handling Your Complaint

We will deal with your written complaints in a speedy, responsive, accessible and user-friendly way.

We will not discriminate against anyone who has made a complaint. If a complainant behaves inappropriately in making a complaint we will seek to manage that behaviour as necessary, while treating the complaint like any other.

• We will acknowledge your written complaint and provide an initial response within 10 working days.
• If you tell us that you are not satisfied with our response, we will not require you to write in again in order to pursue the complaint through any escalation procedure.
• We will cooperate in the same way with an intermediary acting on your behalf.
• We will provide a final decision in writing within any deadlines set by the relevant ombudsman, but in any case within 56 calendar days of receiving your complaint, unless we have previously agreed a later deadline.

Escalating Your Complaint

If you remain dissatisfied with our final decision, or we fail to provide that decision by the relevant deadline, you may refer your complaint to the relevant Ombudsman:

Property Matters

The Property Ombudsman (TPO)

Milford House, 43-55 Milford Street,

Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 2BP

Tel: 01722 333306

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.tpos.co.uk

Care Matters

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO)

Tel: 0300 061 0614

Website: www.lgo.org.uk

You should normally make any referral within 12 months of receiving our final decision, to facilitate the Ombudsman’s investigation.

Complaints under the ARCO Consumer Code

As an ‘ARCO Approved Operator’, we seek at all times to comply with the ARCO Consumer Code. ARCO itself does not have a complaint handling function but has nominated The Property Ombudsman as its Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider.

Where we are unable to resolve satisfactorily any complaint from you about compliance with the ARCO Consumer Code, you may also refer this to The Property Ombudsman. We will cooperate fully with the relevant Ombudsman Service during any investigation and comply fully with the resulting decision, which will be binding on us.

Rents and Leasehold Management

Certain complaints in relation to rents and leasehold management may also be referred to the Residential Property First-tier Tribunal. We will provide you with contact details for the relevant office where your complaint appears to fall within the remit of the Tribunal.

Contact Details

Complaints should be addressed to:

Liz Lawrence

Operations Director

Castle House,

69-70 Victoria Street,

Englefield Green,

Egham,

Surrey TW20 0QX

Tel: 01784 471471

Email: [email protected]

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

In relation to care issues only, you may wish to contact the Care Quality Commission. Please note that while the Commission uses complaints to inform its inspection regime, it does not provide the redress service offered by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.