Balvay Lettings and Property Management Limited trading as  Balvay Estate Agents

1. Our Commitment

Balvay Lettings and Property Management Limited trading as Balvay Estate Agents (“Balvay”) is committed to delivering a high standard of service in residential sales, lettings and property management. We recognise that occasionally things may go wrong and we take all complaints seriously.

This procedure explains how complaints are handled fairly, transparently and in accordance with relevant legislation and The Property Ombudsman (TPO) Codes of Practice.

2. What Is a Complaint?

A complaint is defined as:

An expression of dissatisfaction, whether made orally or in writing, about the services provided by Balvay, the conduct of our staff, or our compliance with contractual, legal or regulatory obligations.

3. How to Make a Complaint

Complaints may be made by landlords, tenants, buyers, sellers or other customers.

Complaints should be submitted to:

Complaints Manager

Balvay Lettings and Property Management Limited

trading as Balvay Estate Agents

Whitfield Business Hub, 188-200 Pensby Road, Heswall, Wirral, CH60 7RJ

Email: office@balvay.co.uk

Telephone: 0151 556 7100

Complaints may be made verbally or in writing. Where a complaint is made verbally, we may ask for written confirmation to ensure accuracy and clarity.

4. Stage One – Formal Complaint

1. All complaints will be acknowledged in writing within 3 working days of receipt.
2. The complaint will be investigated by the Complaints Manager or a senior member of staff not directly involved in the matter where possible.
3. We may request further information or clarification during our investigation.
4. A written response will be issued within 15 working days of acknowledgement.

The response will include:

• A summary of the complaint
• Details of our investigation
• Our decision and any proposed resolution

5. Stage Two – Review by Senior Management

If you are dissatisfied with our Stage One response, you may request escalation.

1. Requests must be made in writing within 10 working days of receiving our response.
2. The complaint will be reviewed by a Director or Senior Manager of Balvay.
3. A final written response will be issued within 15 working days of escalation.
4.  

This response represents Balvay’s final internal viewpoint.

6. Stage Three – The Property Ombudsman

If you remain dissatisfied after completion of our internal complaints procedure, you may refer the complaint to our redress scheme:

The Property Ombudsman (TPO)

Milford House

43–55 Milford Street

Salisbury

Wiltshire

SP1 2BP

Telephone: 01722 333 306

Website: www.tpos.co.uk

You may refer your complaint to TPO within 12 months of the date of our final written response. TPO will not consider a complaint until our internal procedure has been exhausted.

7. Record Keeping

• All complaints are logged and retained for a minimum of six years.
• Records include details of the complaint, investigations, outcomes and any learning points.
• Complaint trends are reviewed regularly to improve service standards.

8. Confidentiality and Data Protection

All complaints are handled in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Personal information will only be used for the purpose of resolving the complaint.

9. Learning and Improvement

We regard complaints as an opportunity to improve our service. Where appropriate, outcomes may lead to:

• Updates to internal procedures
• Additional staff training
• Improvements to communication and service delivery

10. Accessibility and Reasonable Adjustments

If you require this procedure in an alternative format or need reasonable adjustments to make a complaint, please let us know and we will make every effort to assist.

Review of This Policy

This Complaints Handling Procedure is reviewed annually or earlier if required by changes to legislation or The Property Ombudsman Codes of Practice.