Introduction RICS takes complaints very seriously. We always strive to provide excellent standards of service to all who deal with us, and will investigate where and why this does not happen. If you are unhappy with our services, then please let us know. We want to understand what has gone wrong and work with you towards a solution as quickly and effectively as possible. Our complaints procedure is outlined below.
What and who is covered by this procedure
This procedure covers complaints about the way RICS has provided a service, behaved, or made a decision. If the complaint is about the conduct or competence of a RICS qualified professional or a firm of surveyors regulated by RICS, the matter will be addressed by the appropriate Regulation team in the region and will not be considered under this procedure. This procedure does not cover complaints from RICS employees who should use the appropriate internal procedure available from the People Team.
Our complaints procedure is not a way to:
• Review or appeal against decisions on issues such as subscriptions rates or strategic direction, which are decided by governance boards (we shall record the feedback but not pursue it) • Ask us to review a decision that has been made and appealed through other proper procedures, such as an APC referral or disciplinary matter.
This procedure does not form part of any contract that you may have with us and it may be amended at any time. We may also vary or depart from this procedure, including any time limits, as appropriate in any case.
Continuous improvement We want to make sure that we can provide the best service possible. Your feedback regarding this is important to us, as it allows us to continue to learn and develop our products and services. If you have comments and suggestions about how we can improve our services to you, then please email us your feedback: serviceimprovement@rics.org
Stage 1 – First contact
The first step in this process is to tell us about the issues you have experienced. The easiest way for you to do this is through our online complaints form on the RICS website. This form will instantly be submitted through to the relevant team who will be your first point of contact. The complaints inbox is always monitored and a member of our team will contact you promptly. Please include full details of your complaint and your preferred contact details. We will acknowledge a complaint within five working days and provide a full response to you within fifteen working days. Other ways to contact us: Phone: +44 (0)24 7686 8555 Address: RICS Service Improvement, 55 Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2AA Email: serviceimprovement@rics.org
When you get in touch with us, we will aim to resolve your complaint at the first point of contact. If further investigation is required, you will be assigned a member of the team who will be your point of reference until the matter is resolved. You will be provided a unique case reference number which will allow us to record the issues you have experienced on our system. Your assigned contact will keep you regularly updated on the progress of your complaint until the matter is resolved. All complaints received by other routes (e.g. a letter to the President) will be re-routed to this complaints handling database, so that we can ensure the complaint is captured and tracked to resolution.
Stage 2 – Escalation If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint, or if you feel that you need to escalate the matter further, you can ask to speak with one of our managers. You can ask to do this using the contact details above and quoting your unique case reference number. Our manager will review the case notes and any investigation that has taken place to determine if the correct outcome has been reached. You will be contacted within 48 hours of your complaint being escalated. Our manager will work with you to ensure that all issues have been clearly identified and will make a decision about how best to resolve the matter for you.
Stage 3 – Review for appeal
If you are not satisfied with our response at this point and we have confirmed that there is nothing more we can do, you may be able to make an appeal for certain complaint matters. We have various appeal mechanisms depending on the type of complaint and you should seek advice from your complaint contact. You will need to submit a written declaration that you wish to do so within 28 days of the date of the outcome.
Abusive or persistent behaviour
We will not tolerate any abusive behaviour towards any member of RICS staff. Should any evidence of abusive behaviour be recorded, we reserve the right to restrict contact with RICS staff and in the most severe cases, decline to proceed with any investigations until such behaviour ceases.
Likewise, persistent complaints that have already been through the complaint handling process will be disregarded if we feel that we have taken the matter as far as we are reasonably able.
