We try to give the best service we can, but we accept that things may go wrong from time to time. We take complaints seriously and encourage people to complain in as positive a way as possible.

We want to learn from the complaints we receive and make changes to try to prevent similar problems from arising in future. We will aim to investigate fully all complaints that are made about our service.

If, as a tenant, you are dissatisfied with lack of action, poor quality of service or the way in which issues have been handled and want to make a complaint the following process sets out how you can do this. This process is not intended to deal with matters that are already the subject of legal procedures or other external examination such as a court, tribunal, arbitrator or mediator.

Step one

It is always best to try to sort out the problem with the person or local office you have been dealing with in the first instance. If necessary your local Property Manager will help resolve the matter or let you know exactly who can deal with it. Most issues can be resolved at this stage without further escalation.

Step two

If this is not successful you can take the matter further by writing to the National Trust’s Director for the Region or Country local to you. You can send this directly by, post, fax or e-mail or you can also have someone else (e.g. an advice worker, solicitor, friend or relative) make a complaint on your behalf. You should provide as much detail as you can and explain why you are not happy with what has happened so far.

Your complaint will be recorded by us. The Regional or Country Director will then allocate a senior member of his/her staff to deal with the matter, which will usually be the Area Manager.

Step three

If you remain dissatisfied you can have your complaint raised to the next stage where it will be investigated by the Trust’s Director of Operations at the Central Office in Swindon, or an appropriate Director nominated by him. The investigation may also include a review of how the complaint has been handled at earlier stages.

We will let you know who is handling your complaint and the likely timescale for a response. If the complaint takes a long time to investigate, we will keep you updated on progress.

Step Four

If for any reason your complaint is still unresolved at his stage then please address it to the Chairman at the Central Office address. He will ensure that it is passed to an external adjudicator who will provide a final decision on the matter.