Make a Complaint
Complaints about Unipol's services
Unipol is responsive to the needs of users of our service and welcomes comments and complaints as a means of improving services. We won’t necessarily be able to change the things in the way that you would like or always meet your needs but we will always be able to give you an explanation of why we do what we do. Unipol will always be professional and courteous in dealing with complaints and we will try to be as quick as we can in responding to you.
Parents/Guardians or representatives can complaint on behalf of a complainant but Unipol must have written permission from the complainant at the time of raising the complaint.
FIRST
If you have a complaint, in the first instance please discuss this with the member of staff who is working with you to try and resolve the matter. In this instance the complaint can either be verbal (but polite) or written.
SECOND
If you are unhappy about a response you receive, or the complaint is actually about the member of staff involved or if feel that the complaint warrants further investigation then you must complain in writing to the member of staff who has managerial responsibility for the area or service that you are complaining about.
These staff are:
Housing Hub Operations
Nicola Brown, Hub Services Director
Housing Management Operations (excepting deposits)
Tom Hill, Operations Director
Housing Management Operations: Deposits Only
Nikki Verity, Chief Executive
Unipol Code and the Large Student Developments Codes
Victoria Tolmie-Loverseed, Deputy Chief Executive (interim)
Communications and IT Services
Andrew Livesey, Communications and IT Director
Finance
Elizabeth Smith, Director of Finance
Property Refurbishments
Antony Vyse, Development and Compliance Director
Hopefully they will be able to resolve the issue at that level.
Your letter should contain a clear statement of your concerns, including any supporting documentation and should explain how you think your complaint could be best resolved.
If you are unsure who you should write to you can send the complaint to:
Nikki Verity, the Deputy Chief Executive who will ensure that it is given to the correct member of staff for action.
THIRD
If you feel that the complaint has not been resolved by the above managers, or if your complaint is about them, then you can complain to Nikki Verity, Chief Executive. Your complaint must be in writing.
If your complaint is specifically about the Chief Executive, then you can complain to, The Chair, Unipol Student Homes and this should be sent c/o the Chief Executive who will ensure that it is passed to the Chair.
If you are still not content then you have the following options open to you:
Timescales
Unipol will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aims to provide a response to your complaint within 15 working days of receiving it, although in complex cases this may take longer and we will endeavour to keep you notified of progress and reasons for delay. If you disagree with the response and wish to escalate your complaint to the Chief Executive, the timescale for a further response is within 15 working days where possible.
Where a complaint is received a long while after an incident has taken place, Unipol will aim to resolve this in less time than it took you to complain.
If you write to the Chair, there are no time limits for responses.
Writing to Us
Write to the relevant member of staff at:
Unipol Student Homes
155/157 Woodhouse Lane
Leeds LS2 3ED
If the complaint is about a member of staff the envelope should be marked "Private and Confidential" to avoid the envelope being opened by the general mail operative.
E-Mail addresses of managerial staff:
N.Brown@unipol.org.uk
T.Hill@unipol.org.uk
V.Tolmie-Loverseed@Unipol.org.uk
A.Livesey@unipol.org.uk
E.Smith@unipol.org.uk
A.Vyse@unipol.org.uk
E-Mail address of the Chief Executive
n.verity@unipol.org.uk
If you are still not content then you have the following options open to you:
- you wish to challenge a deposit deduction (only family tenants currently pay a deposit)
- you are a Unipol tenant and wish to make a complaint under the Unipol Code or National Code for Large Developments
- you wish to seek redress (available if a customer has a complaint about Unipol’s service that cannot resolve between the parties).
Challenging a Deposit Deduction
If after exhausting the Unipol complaints procedure in relation to your deposit you feel that the complaint has not been satisfactorily resolved then you can lodge a dispute with the Dispute Service. Information about the service and the procedure and online form to lodge a dispute can be found at
You will need to quote your Tenancy Deposit Scheme tenant reference number.
Complaining under the Unipol Code or National Code for Large Developments
If you are a Unipol tenant or ex-tenant and have exhausted the Unipol complaints process you can make a complaint under the Unipol Codes or National Codes of which Unipol is a member.
Contact the Codes Complaints Investigator Vic Peckitt on:
v.peckitt@unipol.org.uk
You can check which Code your property falls under and how to use these Codes to complain at:
Unipol Code for Shared Student Housing
National Code for Large Developments
Because Unipol operates these Codes, after an initial processing of the complaint to check that Unipol’s own complaints procedure has been used first, Unipol will pass this on to be investigated by DASH (Decent and Safe Homes). Further information about DASH can be found at www.dashservices.org.uk
Seeking Redress
If you are a tenant or ex-tenant of Unipol and wish to seek redress because it has not been possible to reach agreement through the Unipol procedure you are able to raise a complaint with The Property Ombudsman who will carry out their own investigation. As part of The Property Ombudsman Code of Practice, Unipol are to comply with any award or direction made by the Ombudsman, if deemed appropriate following their investigation.
The contact details for the Ombudsman are:
The Property Ombudsman
Milford House
43-55 Milford Street
Salisbury
SP1 2BP
01722 333306
admin@tpos.co.uk
Time Limits
Unipol Complaints System – complaints must be raised within 6 months of the matter being complained about, or, in the case of a tenant, within 6 months of the end of the tenancy
Unipol Leeds, Nottingham and Bradford Codes – no time limit
National Codes – complaints must be raised within six months of the end of the tenancy/letting agreement and occasionally time limits are placed on certain types of complaints(see the National Codes website for details)
Redress and the Property Ombudsman - a complaint must be made within 6 months of the final response being given by Unipol.
Generally, complaints procedures cannot be used for matters:
- where the courts have already become involved
- where police action is pending or a criminal charge has been laid.