Complaints Procedure (England and Wales real estate)

We strive to give you the very best possible service.

However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service you have received from us, then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the issue for you.

In the first instance, it may be helpful for you to contact the fee earner who is directly involved and working on your transaction to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any problems at this stage.

If however you feel, you would like to discuss your concerns more formally make a formal complaint, then may we please ask you to follow the steps below and we will do our best to resolve the problem:

Please contact the managing partner Alastair Hargreaves in writing:

By email: Alastair.Hargreaves@ferbrachefarrell.com; or

By post: Ferbrache & Farrell LLP
Somers House
Rue Du Pre
St Peter Port
Guernsey. GY1 1LU

and your complaint will be acknowledged within three working days.

If we have to change any of the timescales set out below, we will let you know and explain why.

What will happen next?

1. We will send you a letter/email acknowledging your complaint within three working days of receiving it. We may ask you to clarify or explain any details, and/or suggest a meeting at this stage.
2. We will then investigate your complaint, examining the relevant file and speaking with members of staff as appropriate.
3. If appropriate, we will then invite you to meet or to speak with the Managing Partner or another Senior Partner over the telephone to discuss and, we hope, to resolve your complaint. We should be in a position to do this no longer than fourteen days after first receiving your complaint.
4. Following that discussion we will write to you to confirm what took place and any suggestions we have made or solutions that have been agreed with you.
5. If you would prefer not to meet or speak over the telephone, or if it is not practical or appropriate, or if we cannot arrange it within an acceptable timescale, we will write fully to you setting out our views on the situation and any suggestions we may have to resolve it. We should be in a position to do this within eight weeks of receiving your complaint.
6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, please contact us again to explain why you remain unhappy with our response and we will consider your comments. Depending on the matter we may at this stage arrange for another Partner to review the decision.
7. We will write to you again within fourteen days of receiving your request for a review setting out our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
8. If you are still not satisfied, you can then contact the Legal Ombudsman by post at PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ, by telephone on 0300 555 0333, or by e-mail to enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk. Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of your receiving a final written response from us regarding your complaint. Further information and guidance is available on the Legal Ombudsman's website at www.legalombudsman.org.uk.

Please note that the Ombudsman deals only with concerns about the level of service received.

Where there are more serious concerns that a Solicitor or Solicitor’s firm has been involved in professional misconduct then contact can also be made to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the regulator of Solicitors and Solicitor firms in England and Wales. This could be for quite unusual and serious acts of misconduct such as dishonesty, taking or losing client’s money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. As we do not anticipate any such problems arising, we would ask that you notify the matter supervisor straight away if you have any such concerns. You can find out more about the Solicitors Regulation Authority including their contact details and professional conduct rules on their website: www.sra.org.uk

Ferbrache & Farrell LLP is a limited liability partnership authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA ID 822659) to provide English & Welsh property law advice, to include conveyancing, which is registered in Guernsey (LLP registration number 64) with registered head office address at Somers House, Rue du Pre, St Peter Port, GY1 1LU and a UK office address at Octagon Point, St Paul’s, 5 Cheapside, London, EC2V 6AA.

Terms of business | Privacy Notice