Complaints Procedure

Your complaint is important to us and should be made in the first instance to your usual contact at our firm.

Alternatively, you can address your complaint to:

We will aim to resolve your complaint within three business days of receipt. If you are satisfied with our response, we will send you a confirmation.

If we cannot resolve your complaint within three working days, within five business days of receiving it we will send you an acknowledgement and where possible fully resolve your complaint.

An employee, who was not involved in the subject matter of the complaint, will investigate your complaint. We will provide their details, giving their name and job title.

We will always aim to resolve your complaint as soon as possible. When we have investigated your complaint, we will send you a written response.

If we cannot resolve your complaint within 4 weeks, we will contact you with the reason why. If we can’t resolve your complaint within 8 weeks, we will send you:

• a resolution; or
• a response which:

explains that we are still not in a position to make a response; provides reasons for the further delay and tells you when we are likely to provide a response; and if appropriate provides details of referral rights to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you are dissatisfied with the delay.

You may be eligible to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

Financial Ombudsman Service

You may be eligible to refer a complaint to the Ombudsman if:

• you are a private policyholder or
• a natural person acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft, or profession or
• a micro enterprise (an enterprise that employs fewer than ten people and whose annual turnover and/or annual balance sheet total does not exceed EURO 2 million) or
• a charity which has an annual income of less than £6.5 million at the time the complainant refers the complaint.
• a trustee of a trust which has a net asset value of less than £5 million at the time the complainant refers the complaint.

(In relation to consumer buy-to-let business) a buy-to-let consumer.

• a small business at the time the complainant refers the complaint; or
• a guarantor.

Where we consider you will be eligible, we will include a copy of the Ombudsman’s leaflet ‘Want to take your complaint further?’ in all final resolution and 8-week response letters.

Further information can be found on the Ombudsman’s website and within their leaflet ‘Want to take your complaint further?’

The address of the Ombudsman is: