Our promise to you
At McCarthy Stone we are committed to enriching the lives of our customers. We pride ourselves on the quality of the homes we build, the lifestyles we deliver and the services we provide. However, we understand that sometimes things can go wrong and so we take complaints very seriously. If you do have a complaint, please do let us know so that we have the opportunity to resolve the issue for you and learn from it. In the first instance, your complaint should initially be directed to your House / Estate Manager who, in most cases, will be able to quickly resolve your complaint to your satisfaction. However, if the House / Estate Manager feel they require further support to resolve they will escalate your complaint to our Customer Support Team who will then liaise with you directly. Although we always recommended you raise your complaint in the first instance with your House / Estate Manager you can alternatively send your complaint directly to the Customer Relations Team by emailing CustomerRelations@mccarthyandstone.co.uk or by post to:
Customer Relations
McCarthy Stone
4th Floor
100 Holdenhurst Road
Bournemouth
BH8 8AQ
Formal complaints process
The McCarthy Stone complaint handling framework consists of a two-stage process to ensure that your complaint is investigated quickly and effectively.
We will not consider or escalate a complaint if:
- The issue giving rise to complaint occurred more than 6 months ago (this does not apply in instances relating to health and safety or safeguarding).
- Legal proceedings have commenced, or a letter before action has been issued.
- We have already provided a formal stage 2 response to the issue.
Stage 1
Customer Relations will acknowledge your complaint either verbally or in writing within 3 working days of receipt. The Stage 1 process will then take no more than 15 working days to complete at the end of which you will receive a high-quality detailed response from your dedicated Customer Relations Manager which will include details of how your complaint was investigated, our proposed resolution, details of any remedial actions and the timeframes for delivery of those actions. If we cannot resolve your complaint within these timescales then we will ensure to update you at this time and keep you informed of progress. We will also inform you of the escalation process to Stage 2 of the process if you are not satisfied with our Stage 1 response.
Stage 2
In the unlikely event you are not happy with our Stage 1 response, we will provide you with the option to have your complaint escalated to and reviewed by an independent senior manager which will be facilitated by your dedicated Customer Support Case Manager. Following the completion of the review you will receive a response letter with our final decision on the matter. At this point you have exhausted the McCarthy Stone complaints process and you may wish to refer your complaint for further consideration by one of a number of external dispute resolution services detailed below:
- Your Home Warranty provider (NHBC) under their claims and dispute resolution service www.nhbc.co.uk/homeowners or 0844 633 1000. The NHBC will then either deal with the complaint under the terms of the warranty policy or, if the complaint falls outside the NHBC warranty dispute resolution scheme, offer you the opportunity to refer your complaint to the Independent Disputes Resolution Scheme. Full details of this scheme and its provider are part of the Consumer Code for Home Builders document given to you at reservation. Full details of this Code can also be found at www.consumercode.co.uk.
- For complaints relating to the management of your property in England & Wales. You can refer the complaint to the The Property Ombudsman:
The Property Ombudsman Ltd,
Milford House,
43-55 Milford Street,
Wiltshire SP1 2BP
01722 333 306
www.tpos.co.ukPlease note that you will need to submit your complaint to The Property Ombudsman within 12 months of receiving our final position letter, including any evidence to support your case.
- For complaints relating to the management of your property in Scotland you can refer the complaint to the Housing and Property Chamber.
Housing and Property Chamber,
First-tier Tribunal for Scotland,
Glasgow Tribunals Centre
20 York Street
Glasgow G2 8GT
0141 302 5900
www.housingandpropertychamber.scot - Shared Ownership residents can refer their complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS):
- Housing Ombudsman Service
- PO Box 152
- Liverpool
- L33 7WQ
- 0300 111 3000
- www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
- Shared Ownership residents can also seek early resolution, advice and support from the Housing Ombudsman Service at any time to help resolve an issue or complaint
