Complaints Procedure

The University of Manchester Residential Services welcomes comments and complaints as a means of improving services. We may not always be able to meet your desired outcome in the way you would like. However, we will always give you an explanation of how a decision has been made.

Residential Services is responsible for over 8,000 residents at any one time. There will be issues that arise from time to time, however, we have systems and procedures in place to help residents communicate any problems to us in the first instance.

Confidentiality

All complaints will be dealt with confidentially, though enquiries may have to be made to investigate the matters that are the subject of the complaint. The effectiveness of any complaints procedure depends on the University being able to collect appropriate information from the parties involved in order to investigate the matter properly. For this reason, anonymous complaints will not be dealt with.

Harassment

The University seeks to create a study and residential environment which is free of harassment and which protects the dignity of students and staff irrespective of their gender, sexual orientation, racial or ethnic background, religion or disabled status. It regards sexual, racial or personal harassment very seriously and requires all students and staff to observe its policy in this area.

Students who believe they are experiencing harassment within their accommodation are advised to raise this with their ResLife Advisor in the first instance. You can also contact the Equality and Diversity Office on +44 161 306 5857, or the Students Union Advice Service. Further information is available online at: Equality & Diversity.

3^rd Party Complaints

Complaints made by a 3^rd party may be accepted however we require written authorisation from the student whom the complaint pertains. The student will be copied into correspondence during the investigation and the final outcome letter.

Universities UK Code of Practice

The University of Manchester owned and managed residences comply with the regulations set by the Universities UK (UUK) code of practice. For more information regarding the UUK code of standards for university halls of residence, and complaints handling (covering England and Wales only) visit: UUK CODE

Advice and Guidance

You may seek advice in preparing any complaint from your hall ResLife team (if appropriate) or the University of Manchester Student Union Advice Service.

Regulation XVIII - Student Complaints Procedure

The Accommodation Complaints Procedure follows and applies the overarching University of Manchester ‘Regulation XVIII Student Complaints Procedure’. It is recommended that you consult Regulation XVIII alongside this procedure. However, please note, in Residential Services we have adopted a two-stage formal process in order to assure the efficient handling and resolution of complaints.

The Accommodation Complaints Procedure explains:

How to make a complaint at each stage of the procedure
How you can expect us to deal with it
What you can do if you are not satisfied with our response

Accommodation Complaints Procedure

Informal Stage

Where practicable, a complaint should be dealt with as close as possible to the point at which it arises. The complaint should, therefore, be raised with a member of staff or with the Administration Office for your hall in the first instance to try and resolve the matter informally, explaining both the problem and your desired outcome.

Contact the Administration Office for your hall:

Victoria Park campus: Dalton-Ellis Hall, Conyngham Road, Victoria Park, Manchester, M14 5RL

Tel +44 (0)161 306 9844

City campus: Grove House Office, 316 Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WJ

Tel +44 (0)161 275 4950

Fallowfield campus: Main Reception, Richmond Park, Whitworth Lane, Fallowfield, Manchester, M14 6YY

Tel +44 (0)161 306 9900

Formal

Stage 1

If you are not satisfied with the response at the informal stage or if it was inappropriate to resolve the matter informally, you may submit a formal complaint by completing the online complaints form (you will need your University username and password).

Complaints must be submitted within 40 working days of the event or action you are complaining about, complaints will not be accepted beyond 40 working days without a credible and compelling reason for the late submission. Complaints received beyond 40 working days without a credible and compelling reason will receive a Completion of Procedures letter.

You may submit a formal complaint if:

The issue raised informally needs further investigation;
It involves a member of staff;
You are requesting compensation due to failure of a service provision (please include evidence and why you believe your case should be considered for compensation);
Your complaint has not been treated fairly or in line with university procedures.

Formal complaints must be made in writing using the online form above. However, if you have any issues accessing the form, then please email accommodation.complaints@manchester.ac.uk to request an alternative form.

Your complaint will be acknowledged within 48 hours (excluding weekends, public holidays and official University holidays) and responded to within 5 working days. If circumstances mean a full response is likely to take longer, we will let you know with a new expected response date.

Stage 2

If you are not satisfied with the response you received at Stage 1 then you can raise your complaint to Stage 2 of the complaints process.

You may complain on one or more of the following grounds:

The issue you raised at Stage 1 was not fully addressed;
Your complaint has not been treated fairly or in line with university procedures;
The outcome is not reasonable based on the evidence provided.

To raise your complaint to Stage 2 you must let us know within 10 days from receiving the response at Stage 1 by emailing accommodation.complaints@manchester.ac.uk.

Your complaint will be passed on to the Director of Residential Services or a member of the Residential Services Senior Management Team on her behalf.

You will receive an acknowledgement within 48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) from receipt of your complaint and a full written response within 10 working days.

If you are still not satisfied with the response you have the right to ask for your complaint to be taken to Review.

Review

If, once a final decision on the complaint has been given you believe that the complaint has not been handled fairly or properly in accordance with this procedure, you can request a review under The University of Manchester ‘Regulation XVIII Student Complaints Procedure’ by writing directly to the Director of Teaching and Learning Support in the Teaching and Learning Support Office (TLSO) (appealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk) within 10 working days of you receiving your written response. You will need to state why you are not satisfied with the outcome and include copies of any correspondence exchanged during the earlier stages. You will receive an acknowledgement of your request within 5 working days.

The Director of Teaching and Learning Support, or his or her delegated representative, will then review the case based on the documentation provided and will notify you of their decision within 20 working days of receipt of the request for the review. We will make every effort to follow the time limits set out in our procedure. However, where, for good reason, this is not possible we will keep you informed of progress.

External Referral

If you believe that your case has not been dealt with properly by the University or that the outcome is unreasonable then you can, provided you have completed all of our internal procedures, complain to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) if the complaint is eligible under its rules. Please visit OIA for further information.