If things go wrong…
Lee Abbey London is proud to be a member of the ANUK/UNIPOL National code of Standards for student accommodation providers – a government recognised code of best practice.
Membership of this code means that Lee Abbey voluntarily agrees to comply with good practice standards that relate to both the physical condition of our building as well as its day-to-day management. We also agree to be vetted to check we are meeting the standards.
This means that, amongst other things, students living at Lee Abbey can expect:
- Buildings that meet or exceed fire safety requirements
- Managers of buildings to act in a professional and courteous manner at all times
- Managers are trained in mental health awareness
- Repairs to be completed within agreed timescales
- Complaints are handled professionally, with external input from the National Codes if they cannot be resolved.
Complaints Procedure
It is accepted that there may be occasions when you feel you have cause for complaint. Complaints may be made by individuals or a group of residents. It should be recognised that the vast majority of residents’ complaints can be handled fairly, amicably and to the satisfaction of all concerned on an informal basis by discussing the problem with the Director or staff member concerned. Only when informal means have been exhausted should a formal complaint be pursued.
Should you wish to pursue a formal complaint please use the following procedure:
Stage 1
Please raise your complaint with the Director in the first instance, who will forward it on to the appropriate person for follow-up. If your complaint relates to the Director personally, please raise your concern with the Deputy Director, Rev Sue Cady. Should you wish to raise a complaint confidentially, please raise this with the elected student representative who will communicate with the Director on your behalf.
Complaints received will be acknowledged within three days and a substantive written response to the complaint will be made within 10 days. Where matters are complex then a written response will be given within 10 days explaining why a longer period of consideration is necessary, together with an anticipated time when a full response can be provided.
In responding to a complaint, Lee Abbey management will set out any actions they intend to take and the timetable they aim to achieve and will honour any outcome within 10 days of a settlement being agreed.
If you would like to raise a concern regarding safeguarding, please report it directly to our Designated Safeguarding Person (Sue Cady).
Stage 2
Should Stage 1 not produce a satisfactory outcome, please request an appointment at Reception with the Director (James Fulford) or Chaplain (Sue Cady) at Reception. The Director will consider your complaint and will determine the outcome of your complaint.
Stage 3
Should you be dissatisfied with the Director’s decision in Stage 2, you may appeal against this decision by submitting your complaint in writing to Reception, addressed to the HR Manager (Chris Barry), who will arrange for your complaint to be investigated and heard by a panel including at least one member of the Board of Trustees of Lee Abbey London. When considering your appeal, the panel will refer to your Resident Licence, the Residents’ Handbook and any other relevant evidence.
Appeals against charges for damage
Residents may appeal against charges for damage, by using the above complaints procedure and discussing their case with the Director in the first instance.
This complaints procedure is also available for use by neighbours living in Lexham Gardens and nearby.
Should the above process be exhausted without a satisfactory outcome, or should a student not receive a response from Lee Abbey management within 28 days, they are entitled to raise their complaint with the National Code of Standards Complaints Investigator, following the National Code complaints process.