If we can’t resolve your complaint fully ourselves, we may then refer you to an independent body, The Property Ombudsman Service (for customers in England and Wales) or the Housing and Property Chamber (for Scotland). However, complaints about perceived value for money may need to be heard by a tribunal instead, in which case we will advise you accordingly.
External Reviews of Complaints
Should FirstPort be unable to resolve your complaint, you can then seek an independent review. We will advise you of your options in our Stage 2 reply, but in most cases, you will be referred to one of the following two bodies: The Property Ombudsman Service – England & Wales – https://www.tpos.co.uk/
This Ombudsman will review complaints from customers of FirstPort Property Services, FirstPort Retirement Property Services and FirstPort Bespoke Property Services. Prior to August 2018, you may have been signposted to a different Ombudsman, which no longer works with our sector. Complaints can be heard by TPOS if they have not been resolved within 8 weeks of activation of our complaints process. They provide a free and independent service and they will normally ask for confirmation that you have been through the process and that we have reached ‘deadlock’. Their job is to investigate complaints fairly by listening to both sides of the story and reviewing the facts of the case.
Housing and Property Chamber (Scotland) – https://www.housingandpropertychamber.scot/
The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) was formed to deal with determinations of rent or repair issues in private sector housing as well as assistance in exercising a landlord’s right of entry. The Chamber also provides relatively informal and flexible proceedings to help resolve issues that arise between homeowners and property factors. These were the functions of the former Tribunals that the Chamber replaced: The Private Rented Housing Panel (PRHP) and Homeowner Housing Panel (HOHP).
