We are committed to delivering excellent services to our customers, but we know that sometimes we get it wrong. When we do, we will listen to you and take action to put things right as quickly as we can.
Our commitment to you
- We will welcome all complaints and view them as an opportunity to learn.
- We will make it easy for you to make a complaint and support you while it is resolved.
- We will take your complaint seriously and deal with it in a professional way.
- We will seek to resolve issues quickly without the need to take a formal approach.
You can make a complaint if the service you receive has not been satisfactory because of something we, or someone providing a service on our behalf, have or have not done. Some issues, such as a complaint about a neighbour or an initial request for a service, will not be considered through our complaints procedures. More information on what is dealt with through our complaints procedure is set out in our Complaints Policy.
If you make a formal complaint
Your complaint will be registered at Stage 1 of the process and someone may contact you to make sure we understand what has gone wrong and how you would like us to fix it.
We will send you an acknowledgement by email or letter within 5 working days and assign it to the Front Line Resolution team who will carry out an investigation into what has gone wrong.
We will respond to you within 10 working days of acknowledging your complaint and keep you updated if there are any delays with our response.
If our response at Stage 1 has not resolved your complaint we can escalate it to Stage 2. At this stage the Case Resolution team will review how your complaint and the investigation has been handled at Stage 1 and respond to you within 20 working days of the escalation.
If your complaint is still unresolved you can ask for it to be reviewed by a Designated Person and, if applicable, the Housing Ombudsman Service. We provide more details on this as part of our Stage 2 response, but you can request them at an earlier stage if needed.
If your home purchase was subject to the Consumer Code for Home Builders (if you are unsure please consult your purchase information or contact the Customer Care Team for advice, noting that the Consumer Code does not apply to Beechwood or Purfleet schemes) then you should note the following additional information about your rights under the consumer code:
For customers who reserve before 1st January 2024 and for whom the 4th Edition of the Consumer Code for Homebuilders applies:
You should allow us an opportunity to investigate and put things right. We have a two stage complaints process and if you are not satisfied with our response you can contact the Home Warranty Body who may decide to deal with your complaint under your Home Warranty or give you the opportunity to refer it to the Dispute Resolution Scheme.
A Dispute may be brought to the Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme after 56 calendar days have passed since the Buyer first raised the Complaint to us and not later than 12 months after our final response to the complaint. In ordinary circumstances this would allow sufficient time for us to complete our internal complaints process.
Customers who reserved after 1st January 2024 but before 7th January 2025 for whom the Fifth Edition of the Consumer Code for Homebuilders applies should also note:
If your complaint becomes a dispute you may refer it direct to the Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme or the Home Warranty Body (or both) as appropriate if:
- You do not receive any response from us within 20 working days of a complaint being made.
- If you cannot reach agreement with us as to the resolution of your complaint within 56 days of the complaint being made.
- If the defective, faulty or incomplete works or issues arising are not resolved within timescales agreed between you and us.
Using our complaints procedure or the Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme does not affect the Buyer’s normal legal rights. If the issue is not covered by the New Home Warranty, the Home Warranty Body may give the Buyer details about the Code’s Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme.
A Dispute may be brought to the Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme after 56 calendar days have passed since the Buyer first raised the complaint to us and no later than 12 months after our final response to the complaint.