X1 Lettings

Our student contracts are 48 weeks long but can be extended to 52 weeks should you need. Residential contracts begin on a minimum 6 month AST and then go on to a rolling monthly basis.

Your £150 service charge payment covers the following for the duration of your tenancy:

- Communal cleaning
- 24 hour maintenance
- On site security

Only the communal areas of the building will be cleaned. You are responsible for the cleanliness of both your flat and your individual bedroom.

Complaints Procedure

What is a complaint?

The Property Ombudsman defines a complaint as something a complainant thinks that you may have done wrong, or something that you should have done but did not do. They may notify you of their complaint verbally or in writing.

Even if you believe there is no basis or justification for complaint, any complaint received should be treated seriously.

The Property Ombudsman states that we must take seriously and investigate any complaint from a current Landlord or Tenant, and from and previous Landlord or Tenant, or their representatives.

Why do we need to follow a complaints procedure?

Following a procedure shows our commitment as a firm to respond in a fair and professional manner to any grievances, whether we uphold the complaint or not. It also impacts on our insurance should a complaint be escalated and upheld. When a complaint is dealt with in a positive way it can often improve our relationship with the complainant and we must take every opportunity to increase the trust placed by consumers in X1. We also need to protect our status as compliant with the Code of Practice of The Property Ombudsman.

Stage 1

If a grievance is reported by any person it should first be dealt with by the account manager assigned to that building where relevant. Best practice is to resolve the grievance to the customer’s satisfaction within 24 hours.

Essential details should be recorded, including:
The contact details of the complainant
Date and time complaint has been received, and by what means (please scan any relevant documents, save emails and record the time of phone calls so that they may be listened to)
Details of the grievance in as much detail as possible

Notify your line manager - the Complaints Log should be updated within 24 hours of the complaint being received.

Stage 2 / 3 (depending on where the matter has been escalated to)

If the client wishes the matter to be escalated, the complaint must be referred to a senior member of staff who is not directly involved in the matter. Usually this would be a Senior Account Manager or the relevant Head of Department. A written acknowledgement must be issued within 3 working days to the complainant.

The complaint must be investigated thoroughly. All correspondence should be saved in a dedicated file and relevant calls listened to. The written response must be issued within 15 working days of receipt of the complaint and should address the following.

Summarise the complaint
Confirm whether the complaint is to be upheld or rejected
Summarise your findings; confirm dates and modes of communication
Write personally to the complainant, express regret for their grievance and an offer of reparation where necessary (this being the case it should come from a Branch Manager)
Confirm how to escalate further within X1 should they remain satisfied
Give the process of referral to The Property Ombudsman and specify that they have 12 months to do so

If a complaint is to be upheld the response and any offer must be sent, or at least approved by, a Branch Manager.

Stage 4

Should our final response be rejected the complaint must be reviewed and a final final response be issued. At this stage the matter will be escalated to Melissa to confirm the final decision. Following a final response at this level, any disagreement should be reviewed by The Property Ombudsman in line with their guidance.