McLean Forth is committed to providing a high-quality service to our clients. We therefore value complaints and use information from them to help us improve our services. If something goes wrong or you are unhappy with our staff or services, please tell us. These pages explain how you can make a complaint. If you simply want to make a suggestion or pay us a compliment, please email us at [email protected].
What is a complaint?
Mclean Forth defines a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by us or on our behalf.
What can I complain about?
You can complain about things such as:
- our failure to provide a service
- inadequate standard of service
- treatment by or attitude of a member of McLean Forth staff
- our failure to follow the agreed administrative process
- all of the above, provided on our behalf by one of our property management
- contractors.
What is not a complaint?
A complaint is not:
- the first request for a service (for example, a request for a portable heater)
- a request for compensation only
- a request for information or an explanation of a policy or practice
- an attempt to reopen a previously concluded complaint where we have given our final decision
What can’t I complain about?
There are some things we can’t deal with through our complaints handling procedure.
These include complaints about:
- the policies and practice of Let Alliance, the organisation which we use to carry out our referencing and rent guarantee
- the policies and practices of Letting Protection Scotland, the body to which we transfer tenants’ deposits and which adjudicates on, and processes, the repayment of deposits, and any money to be withheld to meet claims by landlords
- issues that are in court or have already been heard by a court or a tribunal
If other procedures or rights of appeal can help you resolve your concerns, we will give information and advice to assist you.
How to make a complaint?
You can complain in person, by telephone, by letter or by email to [email protected]. It is easier for us to resolve complaints if you make them quickly and directly to the service concerned, so please talk to a member of our staff about the service you are complaining about. They can then try to resolve any problems on the spot.
When complaining, please tell us:
- your full name and contact details
- as much as you can about the complaint
- how you want us to resolve the matter
What happens when I have complained?
Our complaints procedure has 2 internal stages. We will always try to deal with your complaint quickly. However, if it is clear that the matter will need detailed investigation, we will tell you who is dealing with your complaint and when you can expect a response.
Stage 1: Frontline resolution. We aim to resolve complaints quickly. This could mean an on-the-spot apology, an explanation and immediate action to resolve the problem. We will give you our response within 5 working days, unless there are exceptional circumstances. If we can’t resolve the matter at this stage, we will explain why and how we propose to proceed to stage 2.
Stage 2: Investigation. This stage deals with 2 types of complaint: those that have not been resolved at stage 1 and those that are complex and require detailed investigation. At this stage, we will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days. We will give you our decision as soon as possible and usually within 21 working days. If there is clearly a good reason for needing more time, we will agree revised time limits with you and keep you updated on progress.
You may decide to take your complaint to stage 2. You may do this immediately or sometime after you get our Stage 1 initial decision.
In most cases the decision following stage 2 investigation will be final.
External review: The Housing and Property Chamber of the First Tier Tribunal for Scotland is there to help tenants if their accommodation is not up to a certain standard. The complaints form can be found here.