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Internal Complaints Procedure

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Internal Complaints Procedure

Internal Complaints Procedure

We have been Renters' Rights Act 2025-ready since 1 May 2026. This page is a single, time-boxed route for raising a concern with Harvey W James, and sets out two clearly separated external escalation routes if the internal route does not resolve it.

Why this matters more under the Renters' Rights Act

Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, every residential landlord in England is required to be a member of the new mandatory Private Rented Sector Ombudsman scheme (RRA Part 2 Chapter 2, sections 64 onwards). Letting agents have been required to be a member of an approved redress scheme since 2014; Harvey W James has been a member of the Property Redress Scheme since incorporation (registration PRS010914).

This page is the procedure we follow inside Harvey W James, and the two external routes available to you afterwards. The two routes do separate things and we set them out separately to avoid the very common confusion that conflates them.

How to raise a complaint with us

Please put your complaint in writing. Either:

  • Email harvey@harveywjames.com, or
  • Write to our registered office at 1st Floor, 415 High Street, Stratford, London, E15 4QZ.

State the issue, the date or dates it occurred, the property address (where relevant), and the resolution you are seeking. The more specific the complaint, the faster and more accurately we can respond.

The five-step procedure

This is the procedure Harvey W James operates for every formal complaint, in line with our obligations under the Property Redress Scheme and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 redress framework.

Step 1 — Acknowledgment within 3 working days. We acknowledge receipt of every written complaint within 3 working days. The acknowledgment confirms who is handling the complaint and the timeline for our substantive response.

Step 2 — Substantive response within 15 working days. A named member of our team investigates the complaint and issues a substantive written response within 15 working days. Where the investigation requires longer (for example, where contractor records or third-party reports need to be obtained), we will tell you the revised timeframe and the reason in writing before the original 15 working days elapse.

Step 3 — Final response within 10 working days of request. If the substantive response does not resolve the matter, you may request a final response in writing. We will issue a final response within 10 working days of receiving that request. The final response is the formal closure of the internal procedure.

Step 4 — External referral. If you remain dissatisfied after the final response, you may refer the matter to the appropriate external scheme. The external scheme will accept the referral once we have issued our final response, or once 8 weeks have elapsed since the original complaint, whichever is sooner.

Step 5 — External scheme investigation and binding decision. The external scheme investigates and issues a binding decision. Where the decision finds against the agent or the landlord, remedies can include compensation, a direction to perform specific works, or a direction to refund rent or fees.

Expected timeframes at a glance

  • Acknowledgment within 3 working days.
  • Substantive response within 15 working days.
  • Final response within 10 working days of request.
  • External scheme acceptance once final response issued or 8 weeks elapsed.
  • External investigation and decision: typically 4 to 12 weeks, depending on complexity.

Total tenant-side timeline from first complaint to external decision is typically 8 to 20 weeks.

Two external redress routes — they do different things

These are commonly confused. They aren't the same scheme and they don't cover the same conduct.

Route 1 — Property Redress Scheme (complaints about us as the letting agent). The Property Redress Scheme handles complaints about Harvey W James as a letting agent. This is the right route if the complaint is about, for example, the way we marketed a property, the way we handled a referencing decision, the way we handled fees or deposit-protection registration, or the way we communicated with you.

The Property Redress Scheme also enforces the Tenant Fees Act 2019. Where a prohibited payment has been required or received in breach of the Act, the Scheme can direct repayment and apply financial penalties under the Act's enforcement regime.

Route 2 — Private Rented Sector Ombudsman (complaints about landlord conduct). The Private Rented Sector Ombudsman is the new mandatory scheme for landlords, established under Part 2 Chapter 2 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (sections 64 onwards) and expected to go live in late 2026. Every private landlord in England must be a member of the scheme, regardless of whether they self-manage or use an agent. The PRS Ombudsman is independent of the Property Redress Scheme.

This is the right route if the complaint is about the conduct of the landlord — separate from the agent — and the internal complaints process has not produced an acceptable resolution.

What the PRS Ombudsman can investigate

Tenants can complain to the PRS Ombudsman about:

  • A landlord's failure to meet statutory repair obligations.
  • Refusal to handle hazards within the expected statutory windows under Awaab's Law (see Essential Terms §46.X).
  • Breaches of the Decent Homes Standard.
  • Failure to give the statutory written information by the 31 May 2026 deadline (Essential Terms §17).
  • Deposit-handling disputes that are not resolved through the deposit scheme's ADR.
  • Discriminatory conduct in tenancy management (Essential Terms §25).
  • Failure to register the dwelling on the PRS Database (Essential Terms §21).
  • Unreasonable refusal of a pet request under section 16A of the Housing Act 1988.
  • Late or improper Section 13 rent increases.
  • Harassment or unlawful eviction attempts.
  • Any other landlord conduct in scope of the redress scheme rules.

What the PRS Ombudsman can decide

The Ombudsman issues binding decisions. Decisions are enforceable as if they were court orders. The Ombudsman can:

  • Order the landlord to put right whatever was done — for example, carry out a repair or refund a deposit.
  • Award compensation for distress and inconvenience.
  • Issue a Rent Repayment Order of up to 24 months' rent (the cap was doubled from 12 months by the Renters' Rights Act 2025).

Civil penalties for landlord non-compliance with the scheme can reach up to £7,000 for a first breach and up to £40,000 for repeat or serious breaches. Failure to comply with an Ombudsman direction, or repeated non-compliance, can lead to expulsion from the scheme. A landlord expelled from the scheme cannot lawfully rent out properties.

Section 67 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 contains the offence regime for non-compliance with redress scheme regulations. Letting agents who continue to act for an unregistered landlord face the same penalty scale — which is why we will require evidence of current Ombudsman registration from every landlord before continuing to act.

Rent Repayment Orders

A Rent Repayment Order (RRO) is a separate route. A tenant applies directly to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) using Form RRO1, supported by documentary evidence of the landlord's offence and of the rent paid during the relevant period. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, the RRO cap has been doubled from 12 months' rent to 24 months' rent. The application must usually be made within 12 months of the offence.

Free guidance is available from Citizens Advice and from the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS). Where the property has been managed by Harvey W James, we will provide our documentary records to assist a tenant considering an RRO application.

If the complaint is about a third-party contractor

Where your concern is about a service provided by a third-party contractor — for example, an inventory clerk, a cleaning company, or a Goodlord-platform supplier — please let us know and we will promptly provide their contact details so you can register the complaint directly with them. We will also support you with any of our records relevant to the matter.

Hazards and urgent matters — the faster route

If your complaint relates to an emergency hazard (loss of heating, water or power; uncontainable leak; security failure such as a broken lock; fire damage) or to a significant hazard (damp, mould, structural defect, unsafe electrics or gas not yet causing an emergency, severe pest infestation), please do not use this complaints procedure as the first step. Use the homepage repair form, email aftercare@harveywjames.com, or call our 24/7 office number on 020 3865 1500 for emergency hazards.

Our Awaab's Law operational protocol (Essential Terms §46.X) sets the response windows we operate to: 24 hours to investigate and begin emergency-hazard repair; 10 working days to complete repair of significant hazards. Where the landlord refuses or fails to authorise the works required by the protocol, we will (i) escalate to the landlord with a written compliance notice, and (ii) advise you of your rights to refer the matter to the PRS Ombudsman and to pursue a Rent Repayment Order. Harvey W James will not knowingly facilitate a landlord's breach of expected statutory hazard timeframes.

Contact details

This page reflects Harvey W James' operational understanding of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, the Property Redress Scheme rules (as in force), the Tenant Fees Act 2019, the Housing Act 1988 (as amended), and the Housing Act 2004 (as amended). It is not legal advice. For the published Act text refer to legislation.gov.uk; for your specific situation seek independent legal advice. Sections covering the PRS Ombudsman will be reissued once the scheme rules are finalised on go-live (expected late 2026). Last reviewed against Essential Terms and Charges v2.1.5 (7 May 2026).

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