Complaints Process...

Community Housing Advocacy Project (CHAP) strives to provide a client centred approach to service delivery and to ensure that all complaints against individuals in the organisation and/or the organisations functions are treated in a serious manner and are investigated to the satisfaction of the organisation and complainant.


Lodging a Complaint


Complaints can be lodged in the following manner:


Complaints may be made by the client personally, or on behalf of the client by any independent third party of your choice or via your local MP or MSP or Councillor.


Services being complained about


If the services being complained about are Debt Counselling Services, which are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, then we have to follow a very specific complaint handling procedure. You can find The Complaints Handling Procedure for FCA Regulated Activities (Debt Counselling Services) by clicking on the download button below.


If the services being complained about are any other services, then The Complaints Handling Procedure for General Business will apply.

The download button for this document is given below.


Handling Complaints about FCA Regulated Activities (Debt Counselling Services)


Complaints will be dealt with in a fair and open manner.


The complaint will be acknowledged by the Chief Executive and thereafter someone who has not been involved in the matter, who may be a member of CHAP’s Board of Directors and Trustees, will investigate your complaint.


The person handling your complaint will write to you:

  • within a few days after receipt of your complaint to summarise the grounds on which you are making the complaint for you to consider and to agree, or if you disagree for you to add to it or delete from the grounds of complaint,
  • during the investigation asking for any further information or clarification if that is necessary,
  • 4 weeks after receipt of your complaint, being a holding response explaining how the investigation is proceeding, and
  • 8 weeks after receipt of your complaint, being a final response setting out whether the complaint is to be upheld and what redress is offered, or is to be rejected: in either case a reasoned explanation will be provided.


If a client isn’t satisfied with any aspect of that final response, including any redress that may be offered if the complaint is upheld, then the client can refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, Exchange Tower, London, E14 9GE, 0800 023 4567 or www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk. Full details will be provided in the final response.


Handling Complaints about General Business


Complaints will be dealt with in a fair and open manner:


The complaint will be acknowledged by the Chief Executive and thereafter someone who has not been involved in the matter, who may be a Senior Manager, will investigate your complaint.

  • Within 1 week of receipt of the complaint, the complaint handler will write to you to summarise the grounds on which you are making the complaint for you to consider and to agree; or, if you disagree, for you to add to it or delete from the grounds of complaint. 
  • Within 2 weeks receipt of the complaint, the Services Manager will meet with the staff member in question and will read all of the file relating to the matter complained about.
  • Within 4 weeks of receipt of the complaint, and where appropriate, the client/representative may be invited to meet with the Service Manager to discuss the complaint and to seek to resolve the issue (an independent third party may attend if so requested).
  • Within 8 weeks of receipt of the complaint, a written final decision will be made at senior management level and sent to the client or to the client’s representative.
  • If the final decision is to uphold the complaint, then, where appropriate, redress will be offered and will be effective immediately on the client agreeing and accepting.


All complaints will be dealt with within 8 weeks from commencement. 


If the final decision is to reject the complaint or if the client isn’t satisfied with the assistance given and/or the outcome of the complaint, the matter can be escalated to the Chief Executive.


In some cases, the matter may be referred to CHAP’s Board of Directors and Trustees.

DOWNLOAD COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE - FCA REGULATED ACTIVITIES DOWNLOAD COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE - GENERAL ACTIVITIES