Most complaints that end up with an ombudsman don't get there because the agent was wrong about the facts. They get there because the complaint wasn't acknowledged, part of it was ignored, or the reply said something that couldn't be backed up. A consistent process fixes most of that.
This guide sets out a process that works for most letting and property management teams in England. It isn't legal advice. Where the law or your redress scheme sets a requirement, the linked sources are the authority.
1. Acknowledge it, and say when you'll reply
Log the complaint the day it arrives, even if it came by phone or in the middle of a longer email. Send a short acknowledgement that:
- confirms you've received it and are treating it as a complaint;
- names the person handling it;
- gives a date for your response.
Letting agents in England must belong to a government-approved redress scheme, and the schemes expect you to have an in-house complaints procedure and follow it. Check your scheme's current timescales and put them in your procedure. Social landlords are bound by the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code, which isn't binding on private agents but is a sensible benchmark: acknowledge within five working days and respond within ten.
2. Separate the issues
A single email often raises several different things: a repair, the way a previous request was handled, a charge the tenant disputes, and a claim about what the law requires. Write each one down as its own point before you do anything else. Each will need its own answer, and each may need different records. See separating the issues in a complaint.
3. Check each legal claim before you respond to it
Tenants often cite the law, sometimes accurately and sometimes not. Treat each legal claim as something to check, not to accept or dismiss. Find the provision, read the current version, and check it applies in England and was in force when the events happened. If you can't find support for a claim, say that, rather than telling the tenant they're wrong. See checking legal claims.
4. Gather the records
Most complaints are decided on records: when a repair was reported, what was done and when, what the certificates say, what was paid. Make a short list of the records each issue needs and pull them before you write anything. See records to gather.
5. Decide each issue
For every issue, decide one of:
- Upheld: you or the landlord fell short. Say so, and say what you'll do.
- Partly upheld: some of it stands.
- Not upheld: explain why, with the evidence.
- Needs more information from the tenant, the landlord or a contractor.
- Needs escalation: to the landlord, a manager, or a solicitor where there's legal risk.
Involve the landlord where the decision is theirs, such as authorising works or refunding a charge they received.
6. Write one clear response
Answer every issue in the order the tenant raised it, say what you found, what you've decided and what happens next, and explain how to escalate: your internal next stage, and your redress scheme. See writing the final response.
7. Close the loop
Diary every action you promised. Keep the complaint, your records and your response together: if it reaches a redress scheme, that file is your case.
Practical point. Much of the time in a complaint goes on steps 2–4: working out what's actually being claimed and what the records need to show. That's the part Casebriar is built to speed up. It doesn't make the decisions in step 5.
Casebriar separates a tenant complaint into its issues, checks the legal claims it covers against legislation.gov.uk and lists the records you’ll need. It’s in a free pilot with letting agents in England.
Join the pilot