XClose

UCL Accommodation

Home
Menu

Feedback and complaints

If you wish to make a complaint about any aspect of the services UCL Accommodation provides, please use the information below to direct your enquiry.

Our service

We strive to provide an excellent service in terms of quality of work, timely delivery, professional behaviour and customer service. We expect consistently high standards from our staff and our contractors. We recognise, however, that there are occasions when services provided by UCL Accommodation may fall short of reasonable expectations. Section 24 of the UCL Accommodation General Regulations sets out the formal complaint procedure to be followed in the event of a service not being delivered in line with our high standards and user aspirations. 

If you are unhappy about a service provided by or through UCL Accommodation, or if we have not done something which we promised to do, the best way for us to make improvements is to hear from you and learn from what you have to say.

In the first instance, we recommend that you speak to your hall team or log a ticket on AskUCL.


Definition of a complaint

For the purposes of this procedure a complaint is defined as any serious and formal expression of dissatisfaction that requires action or redress. It includes repetitive failure to resolve or address a reported issue; serious failure of agreed service arrangement; serious breach of service agreement; serious inconvenience caused as a result of UCL Accommodation’s or UCL Accommodation contractors’ actions (or inaction) and inappropriate behaviour by a member of UCL Accommodation staff or contractors. 


Types of complaint

1. Building works and maintenance
It is not always possible to schedule building works and maintenance works when buildings are unoccupied. Such works, unless emergencies, will be scheduled for normal working hours (between 8am - 5:30pm). Residents will be given advanced notice of works.

No compensation will be paid for noise resulting from such works or for changes resulting from such works, in facilities provided.

2.    Lack of services resulting from a failure of service provision by or on behalf of UCL
Where there is a lack of services resulting from a failure of provision by or on behalf of UCL, UCL will take reasonable steps to: inform residents of the duration of the failure; inform residents of any alternative provision; and reinstate or require the third party provider to reinstate the service without delay. 

3.    Failure to report faults and vandalism
Compensation will not be paid for a lack of service or amenity where the individual(s) affected is/are aware of but has/have failed to report as soon as reasonably possible, in writing, a fault to the Accommodation Manager. Compensation will not be paid where a fault or interruption of service has been caused by acts of vandalism by you or your guests.

4.    Major disaster
In the event of catastrophic failure of services or the destruction of part of a building necessitating closure, all reasonable steps will be taken to re-house students (in accordance with Regulation 43). Where re-housing in accommodation with a higher weekly accommodation fee is accepted by a student, they will not be liable for the difference in accommodation fees. Where re-housing in accommodation with a lower weekly accommodation fee is accepted by a student, they will receive a credit for the difference. Where re-housing is not accepted, accommodation fees will only be payable to point of closure and the student will be compensated with the equivalent of one week’s accommodation fees.


Complaints process

If you wish to make a complaint about your experience within UCL Accommodation, you should use the following process.

1.    Who to speak with
You should first try to resolve the matter informally in consultation with either the person who has caused the complaint or the Hall Manager as appropriate. Where the Hall Manager is not available a Residence Assistant will act on their behalf.

2.    Timeframe
At this stage, complaints logged in writing will be acknowledged within three working days and responded to fully within seven working days.

3.    Next Steps
If the complaint cannot be resolved informally you should put the details of the matter in writing to the relevant Area Residences Manager including, if you wish, the form of remedy which may be sought. The relevant Area Manager can be identified from the display on your site notice board; details can also be provided by the Hall Manager.

4.    Timeframe
In order for a complaint to be considered, these details must be submitted to the Area Residences Manager no later than one calendar month after the date in which the incident has occurred. If the complaint is received after this time the Area Residences Manager will exercise discretion as to whether or not the matter in question is to be investigated.

5.    Decision
The outcome of your complaint will be issued to you in writing within 21 working days. Such notification will include details of UCL’s Student Complaints Procedure in the event that you remain dissatisfied with the outcome. The 28 day time limit for lodging a complaint under the UCL Student Complaints Procedure will start from the date you are notified of the outcome of your complaint under the procedure above.

6.    Please note that at all times during the processing of your complaint, informal resolution is encouraged and students may wish to seek the advice of the UCL Student Mediator or the UCL Union’s Rights & Advice Service.
 


Compensation claims

In any service provision, there are times when problems arise that have an impact on the users of the service. When users experience interruption of service or a change in quality they may have an expectation of some form of compensation. 

The rules governing compensation payments need definition to achieve fairness. UCL Accommodation is a self-financing business, the income for which comprises student accommodation fees (termtime and those who stay in the summer) and fees from commercial visitors in vacations. In order for budgets to balance, compensation payments either result in increased fees or reduced services. Therefore, any payments must be justified and fair.

All claims for compensation submitted to UCL Accommodation will be managed in line with the General Regulations. The compensation process for UCL Accommodation is outlined in regulation 27.3.1 of the UCL Accommodation 2023 - 2024 General Regulations. The compensation process for Urbanest is outlined in regulation 25 of the Urbanest 2023 - 2024 General Regulations. You can also submit a claim for compensation via the UCL Student Complaints Procedure as explained in Regulation 27 of the UCL Accommodation General Regulations and Regulation 24 of the Urbanest General Regulations.


Compensation Payments

Any payments will be considered on the basis of an assessment of the inconvenience caused, taking account of the difference between essential and nonessential amenities. 

The amount of compensation to be paid will typically be determined by UCL Accommodation by reference to a percentage reduction in the accommodation fees for the duration of the service failure. Compensation will not be paid where a satisfactory alternative provision has been provided or where the failure in services is caused by vandalism by you, your invitees and or other residents. Furthermore, compensation will not be paid under these circumstances until a period of 36 hours has elapsed to effect a correction of the fault. 
 


Appeals


Appeals against a decision by the Area Residences Manager should be referred to the Operations Manager.

The grounds for such appeal will be:

  • The amount of the compensation offered is unreasonably low.
  • Compensation payment was unreasonably refused.

Appeals must be submitted in writing within 21 days of the date upon which the decision on compensation was communicated to the claimant.