Legal
Complaints Procedure
If we get something wrong, here is exactly how we put it right and by when.
Why we have this
Every UK estate agency business is required by law to belong to a government-approved redress scheme, and every member must operate a written in-house complaints procedure. Ours is set out below. We are a member of the [redress scheme], membership number [number].
Step 1 — tell us
Raise it first with the consultant handling your sale or purchase. Most problems are a misunderstanding and get resolved the same day. If you would rather not, or if the complaint concerns that person, go straight to step 2.
Step 2 — formal complaint
Write to customerservice@upbss.com marking it ‘Formal complaint’, or post it to UPBSS Property Group, [registered office address], Edinburgh. Please include:
- Your name, address and a daytime telephone number
- The property address or reference number
- What happened, with dates where you have them
- Copies of anything relevant
- What you would like us to do to put it right
Our timescales
| Acknowledgement | Within 3 working days, confirming who is investigating and how to reach them |
|---|---|
| Written outcome | Within 15 working days, from a senior member of staff not previously involved |
| Review | Within 15 working days of your request, by a director |
| Final viewpoint letter | Within 8 weeks of your original complaint |
If the matter is complex and we need longer at any stage, we will write and tell you why, and give you a date. If you have not received a final viewpoint letter within 8 weeks, you do not have to keep waiting — you may refer the complaint to the redress scheme anyway.
Step 3 — refer it to the Ombudsman
If you are still not satisfied, or 8 weeks have passed, you can refer your complaint to our redress scheme, the [redress scheme]. The service is free to you.
- You must normally refer the complaint within 12 months of our final viewpoint letter.
- The scheme will usually expect you to have completed our in-house procedure first.
- The Ombudsman can make an award of compensation. Awards are binding on us if you accept them, and accepting an award normally means you cannot pursue the same complaint through the courts.
- You are not obliged to accept the outcome. If you do not, your legal rights are unaffected.
Other routes open to you
- Advice Direct Scotland — free, impartial consumer advice for people in Scotland, at consumeradvice.scot. This is the Scottish consumer advice service; the Citizens Advice consumer helpline serves England and Wales.
- Trading Standards — your local authority service, for breaches of consumer protection law such as misleading property particulars.
- The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) — if your complaint is about a property factor rather than about us, this is the route once the factor’s own procedure is exhausted.
- The Information Commissioner’s Office — for complaints about how we handled your personal data, at ico.org.uk.
- The courts — the Sheriff Court, including the simple procedure for lower-value claims. Nothing in this procedure limits your statutory rights.
We keep a written record of every formal complaint, what we found and what we did about it, and review them periodically to identify patterns. If you need to complain in a different format — by telephone, in large print, or through a representative — tell us and we will accommodate it.
Questions about this document? Email customerservice@upbss.com or write to UPBSS Property Group, [registered office address], Edinburgh.