CPS Homes Complaints Policy
CPS Homes is committed to providing excellent service to all our customers, including tenants, buyers, landlords and vendors. We understand that, on occasion, you may feel that our level of service has not met your expectations. This Complaints Policy outlines how we handle complaints about our service and what you can expect from us throughout the process.
Scope of the Complaints Policy
This policy applies only to complaints about the service provided by CPS Homes. We cannot consider complaints that fall outside the scope of CPS Homes’ responsibilities or authority.
If your complaint relates to the conduct of:
- A vendor (seller) or buyer (e.g. failure to adhere to the agreed terms of a sale), we will assist by forwarding your concerns to them and – using our experience and knowledge of the law – will do what we can in our role as the ‘middleman’ to help find a resolution that satisfies both sides, but if we are unsuccessful in this, you will need to consider litigation.
- A contract-holder (tenant) (e.g. failure to meet contractual/legal obligations), we will have no doubt already discussed their conduct with you and given our opinion on the matter. Using our experience and knowledge of the law, we will do what we can in our role as the ‘middleman’ to help find a resolution that satisfies both sides, but if we are unsuccessful in this, you will need to consider litigation.
- A landlord (e.g. disputes about repairs, contractual obligations, or compensation claims), please read the following section.
Complaints against landlords
It is important to understand the distinction between the roles of a landlord and a managing agent like CPS Homes.
What is a managing agent?
CPS Homes acts as a managing agent, not as the landlord. Here’s how this relationship works:
- Our role: We are tasked with ensuring both contract-holders and landlords adhere to the terms of the signed Written Statement of Occupation Contract and the law in general.
- Landlord decisions: The landlord, as the property owner, makes all final decisions on matters such as repairs, upgrades, and financial arrangements.
For example:
- Repairs and maintenance: We will promptly report repair requests to your landlord and seek their approval to proceed. The landlord is responsible for authorising the work, as they are paying for it. Delays can occur if the landlord needs time to review or approve the request.
- Improvements: Upgrades or non-essential improvements are at the landlord’s discretion. While we advocate for reasonable requests, they are not obligated to agree unless it involves a health, safety or hygiene issue.
- Deposit deductions: Your deposit is safeguarded by a government-approved deposit protection scheme, and CPS Homes does not have the authority to make deductions. The landlord decides whether to make a claim, but you can dispute any deductions through the independent adjudicator provided by the scheme.
By clarifying these roles, we aim to ensure a smoother and more transparent process for all parties involved, to enable you to direct your grievances to the right place. If you are unsure about who is responsible for a specific issue, please contact us and we will guide you appropriately.
Why we can’t handle claims against landlords
While CPS Homes can act as a facilitator, we do not have legal authority to enforce a landlord’s compliance with contractual or legal obligations, nor can we award compensation on their behalf. The landlord remains the legally responsible party for all matters related to their property.
Making a claim against your landlord
If you wish to claim compensation from your landlord, please complete our Contract-Holder Loss Form. We will pass this onto your landlord for their consideration and offer our experience and knowledge of the law in our communication with both sides.
Options if you can’t reach an agreement with your landlord
If you have pursued a complaint or claim against your landlord but have been unable to reach a satisfactory resolution, you may wish to consider litigation, which involves pursuing legal action through the courts to seek resolution or compensation.
We advise this because landlords are not required to hold a membership with a redress scheme like The Property Ombudsman (TPO), so this avenue isn’t available to you. While redress schemes can investigate and make awards against managing agents like CPS Homes, they do not have jurisdiction over landlords.
How to make a complaint about CPS Homes’ service
If you’re satisfied that your complaint is against CPS Homes and we have not delivered an acceptable level of service, please complete our Complaint Form. If you are unable to complete this online or would prefer to submit your complaint by post, please send it to: CPS Homes, 66 Albany Road, Roath, Cardiff, CF24 3RR.
Acknowledgement of your complaint
Upon receipt of your complaint, we will acknowledge it within 3 working days.
Investigation and response
We will investigate your concerns thoroughly and aim to provide a written response within 15 working days. If your complaint requires more time due to complexity, we will keep you informed of progress.
Response review request
If you are dissatisfied with our response to your initial complaint, you can request a review by a senior manager. We will provide you with a form you must complete to request this review.
Independent redress
If, after our final response, you remain dissatisfied, you may escalate the matter to The Property Ombudsman (TPO), of whom we are members.
Please note that TPO state this must be done within 12 months of the date of our final response. It is also important to note that TPO will not consider a complaint until you have raised a complaint in accordance with this policy and we have issued our final response.
Finally, as stated earlier in this policy, please bear in mind that redress schemes like TPO do not have jurisdiction over landlords, so cannot investigate complaints about landlords.
The Property Ombudsman: tpos.co.uk | admin@tpos.co.uk | 01722 333306