Complaints Procedure
DRAFT FOR REVIEW — Not an approved policy. Confirm the complaints contact, response times and escalation arrangements before publication.
At Short Stay Legal, we want you to receive clear, practical support and a high standard of service. If something has gone wrong, please tell us so we can understand your concerns and work towards a fair resolution. Raising a complaint will not affect how we treat you.
1. How to raise a complaint
Please email info@shortstaylegal.co.uk with the subject “Complaint”, or telephone 0333 054 1170. You can also write to Short Stay Legal, 4th Floor Silverstream House, 45 Fitzroy Street, London, W1T 6EB. If you need help making your complaint or a different communication format, please let us know.
Please include your name and contact details, any matter or invoice reference, what happened and when, and the outcome you would like. Include relevant correspondence where helpful, but do not send original documents or unnecessary sensitive information.
2. Acknowledgement and investigation
Proposed service standard for approval: we aim to acknowledge your complaint within five working days. We will explain who will review it and when to expect a substantive response. Where possible, the reviewer will not have been directly involved in the issue.
We will review the relevant records and may contact you for more information. Proposed service standard for approval: we aim to provide a substantive response within 20 working days of receiving the information needed to investigate. If more time is needed, we will explain why and provide an updated timescale.
3. Our response and further review
Our written response will explain what we investigated, our findings and any proposed remedy. If you remain dissatisfied, please reply explaining which points you would like reconsidered. We will explain any further internal review available and the next steps relevant to your complaint. We do not charge for handling a complaint.
4. Regulated legal services
Short Stay Legal is not an SRA-authorised law firm. Where regulated legal services are provided through Woodstock Legal Services Limited, complaints about those services should follow that firm’s complaints procedure and the terms in your client care documentation. We can help identify the appropriate provider and contact route.
Review note — not final policy wording: confirm with the regulated provider the applicable Legal Ombudsman eligibility rules, referral deadlines, contact details and approved complaints procedure. Confirm separately the route for reporting conduct concerns to the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Do not imply that every Short Stay Legal service is covered by either body.
5. Confidentiality and learning
We will handle complaint information sensitively, use it to investigate and respond, and share it only where reasonably necessary or required by law. We will review complaints to identify improvements to our service. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information.
Before this draft is approved
Confirm the responsible complaints handler, monitored email address, acknowledgement and response targets, internal review arrangements, record-retention period, regulated-provider escalation wording and effective date. Remove all draft and review notes only after approval.
