All complaints made under the Code must be received either from a tenant of the property concerned, an ex-tenant of that property or a representative from either. If the representative is a parent or relative of a tenant or ex-tenant, then written authority from the tenant themselves must be attached to the complaint, authorising the complaint on their behalf.

Complaints must be in writing and addressed to:

Complaints will also be able to be made on this web-site.
www.anuk.org.uk

The complaints must state clearly:

1. name and contact details of the person/s making the complaint
2. when the provider was informed of the alleged breach and what steps, if any, were taken to resolve it by the provider 
3. the section/s of the Code/s it is believed have been breached  

Upon receiving the complaint the NCA will acknowledge the correspondence and check that it fulfils the above criteria and then acknowledge receipt of the complaint.

Once a complaint is received the owner of the property will be written to, informing them of the complaint and giving them 14 working days in which to respond.

Generally, it is hoped that reporting a complaint about a property of an owner who has signed the Code voluntarily will result in that owner taking any necessary remedial action immediately.

Tenants will be sent details of the owner's response to the complaint. In the event that the matter cannot be resolved at this time then details of the complaint will be sent to the Chair (or their nominee) of the Complaints Tribunal who, in consultation with the two Vice Chairs, will determine one of two courses of action:

1. to deal with the matter themselves  
2. to refer the matter to the full tribunal for a decision.

Wherever possible the complaint will be dealt with by Chair's action. In the event of a serious complaint then the Chair, in consultation with the two Vice Chairs, will either rule on the complaint or refer the matter to a hearing of the full Tribunal. In the event of a very serious complaint (normally with serious health and safety implications) then the full Tribunal will be used.

If there is a tribunal hearing then this should be held in the relevant town/city that the development is situated in. Complainants (and/or their representative) will be asked if they wish to attend a hearing and would normally be expected to do so. However, where this is not practicable, complainants may submit written evidence.

In the event that the matter is to be dealt with by the Tribunal then complainants will be sent further details of the procedures under which the Tribunal operates.

Where there is some resistance to accept the problem, Chair's action will often result in a satisfactory conclusion.

The Tribunal is intended to remedy serious complaints and disputes.

Details of the constituencies within the Tribunal are given below.

The Tribunal Chair will be appointed by the Committee of Management to serve for three years

The Full Tribunal

• The Chair of the Tribunal (or his/her nominee)
• Two Vice Chairs - one nominated by providers and one nominated by NUS
  A representative from each of the three members of the consortium - ANUK, NUS and Unipol 
• Three representatives from the Owner Community (selected by the Committee of Management)
• One person nominated by the appropriate local authority's environmental health department 
• One person nominated by the appropriate local student union
• One person nominated by the appropriate educational institution (but only in situations where the development is a joint venture between a private supplier and an HEI)

  Owners and tenants involved in the case before the Tribunal will be invited to attend. 

  No legal representatives are allowed at the Tribunal representing either owner or tenant. Lay people can accompany or represent either party with the express agreement of the parties involved.

  Tribunal hearings should be heard within 3 months of the Tribunal procedure being triggered, although preferably within one month. If either the owner or the complainant cannot attend within 3 months then the hearing will take place in the absence of that party.

  The Tribunal is not empowered to make any monetary awards.
  
  Download the guidance and complaints form (PDF)

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