The final response is the document a redress scheme will read first if the complaint goes further. Write it for that reader as well as for the tenant: clear, complete, and backed by records.
A structure that works
1. Opening. Thank them, restate that this is your response to their complaint of [date], and list the issues you've taken from it. This shows you've read the whole thing, and lets them tell you straight away if you've missed something.
2. One section per issue, in their order. For each:
- what they said (briefly, in their words where it matters);
- what you found, and the records you relied on;
- where they've cited the law, what the provision says, and whether it supports their point;
- your decision: upheld, partly upheld or not upheld;
- what you'll do, by when.
3. Putting things right. Where something is upheld, say what you're doing about it: works, a refund, an apology, a change to your process. Be specific about dates.
4. Next steps. Explain how to take it further: any further internal stage, then your redress scheme by name, with its contact details and time limit.
Getting the tone right
- Acknowledge what went wrong plainly. "We should have replied to your email of 3 March and didn't" is worth more than a general apology.
- Don't argue with the tenant's feelings. Address the facts.
- Avoid absolute legal statements you can't support. "The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11, requires the landlord to keep the heating installation in repair; it doesn't set a fixed deadline" is accurate. "There's no legal deadline for repairs" is broader than you can prove.
- Never tell a tenant they're wrong about the law without the provision in front of you. If you can't support their claim, say what you checked.
Before it goes out
- Every issue from step 1 has a section.
- Every legal statement is tied to a provision you've checked.
- Every factual statement matches the records.
- The landlord has agreed anything that commits them.
- Dates for promised actions are in the diary.
Casebriar drafts a response in this shape from the issues and the decisions you make, using only legal points it has verified and the records you've confirmed. You edit and approve it; nothing is sent automatically.
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.
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