Our aim is to provide you with a high quality, efficient and courteous service.
We are sorry if you feel that we have not managed to achieve this. If you let us know the details of your concerns, we will investigate the matter and try to put things right for you if we can. We will also try and take action to avoid the problem arising again for you and other people.
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about our product, actions or lack of action, or the standard of service provided, whether the product, action or service was delivered directly or by a third party acting on our behalf.
As a developer registered with the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB), we are now subject to significant new requirements in relation to their complaint’s procedure.
The New Homes Quality Code (NHQC) applies to homes built by a GHVDC which were reserved on or after the our registration date of 7 May 2024.
NHQC sets is a five-step procedure which we must follow when dealing with customer complaints. Importantly, not all complaints are regarding a newly built home therefore whilst GHVDC is now obligated to follow the NHQB procedure, it will endeavour to deal with complaints not specifically to do with new homes in a more expeditious manner where practicable.
How to Complain
The complaint procedure is built around the “complaint start date”. The complaint start date is the first business day after the complaint is received by the housebuilder. For example, if the complaint is received on a Monday, the complaint start date is Tuesday. If a complaint is received on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday then the start date is the following Monday (or, in the case of a public holiday, the next working day).
Complaints are to be submitted in writing to complaints@gravenhill.co.uk.
The complaints procedure is a five-stage process:
-
Stage 1 — Written Acknowledgement
No later than five days from the complaint start date, we must send you a written acknowledgement of your complaint. The written acknowledgment will usually be very short and need not include any comment on the substance of your complaint.
It should be noted that, unlike the complaint start date, the date by which a written acknowledgement must be sent is calculated based on calendar days, not business days. This means that the last day for an acknowledgment to be sent could fall on a weekend or public holiday. The same is true of the deadlines for the other steps listed below.
-
Stage 2 — Written Path to Resolution
No later than ten days from the complaint start date, we are required send you a ‘path to resolution’.
The path to resolution, which must be in writing, sets out how we intend to investigate your complaint. This may include undertaking an inspection (or instructing a contractor to do so), reviewing previous correspondence with you and/or discussing the complaint with colleagues or a contractor.
Our path to resolution will, if relevant, inform you whether we can refer the complaint to a dispute resolution service offered by our warranty provider if you are not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint procedure.
-
Stage 3 — Complain Assessment and Response Letter
No later than 30 days from the complaint start date, we must send you a complaint assessment and response letter.
The complaint assessment and response letter will include a report on the complaint (or, in the case of multiple complaints, a separate report on each one). It will explain whether we accept your complaint, rejects the complaint or we need more time to reach a decision.
If we accept the complaint, our letter will set out what action has been taken to rectify the situation and/or what further correction action we intend to take and when.
If we reject the complaint, then we must give a clear explanation for this and provide you with information about the New Homes Ombudsman Service (NHOS) and any dispute resolution service offered by the warranty provider.
If we need more time to conclude our investigations, then we will explain what further steps we need to take and why. Our explanation will also state when you will receive a further update (which must be within 28 days) and give an estimate of when we expect to reach a decision.
-
Stage 4 — Eight-Week (56 Day) Letter
If the complaint is not closed within 56 days from the complaint start date, we must send an ‘eight-week letter’.
The eight-week letter will include, as a minimum:
- A clear summary of what action has been taken to date
- Details of the actions or investigations which remain outstanding and an explanation of why these have not yet been concluded
- An estimate of when we will decide on a complaint or, in the case of a complaint that has already been accepted, complete any outstanding correction work
- A timeline for further updates to you; these will be provided at least every 28 days until the complaint is closed
-
Stage 5 — Closure Letter
As its name suggests, the purpose of a closure letter is to bring the complaints process to an end.
We can send a closure letter at any time after the complaint start date, though in practice it will almost always be appropriate to issue a complaint assessment and response letter first.
The closure letter will confirm our final decision and, where a complaint has been accepted, list the corrective actions that the housebuilder has taken. It will also provide information about how you can refer the matter to the NHOS if you are not satisfied with our response to the complaint.