Complaints

Should you feel that your accommodation, or the level of service you receive in your accommodation, has not met your expectations and you wish to make a complaint in the first instance, please write to your residence reception. The reception team will then forward your complaint to the appropriate person.

Please try to include as many details in the complaint as possible about what has happened e.g. who/what/where/when etc. You may also want to consider the following:

• Is the complaint being raised still on-going (if the matter is urgent telephone your Residence Reception and ask to speak to a Duty Residence Manager – between the hours of 8am-7pm Mon-Sun)
• Is there photographic evidence that will help with visualising the issue?
• Is there a communication chain to draw from e.g. emails sent & received?
• Has there been a breach of contract by the University?
• What outcome would you like?

We ask that the resident affected to makes the complaint to us so that we can discuss the matter directly with the student when answering any issues raised. If a complaint is received from a parent or relative, on the student’s behalf, we will need to respond to the resident which may be a delay in the complaint in being dealt with.

For matters relating to your accommodation contract, then please contact our Accommodation Team via SID at the Student Services Centre in the Forum to discuss the issue you wish to raise in the first instance.

If our Reception team are unable to resolve the issue, or if the matter takes longer to resolve than you expect or you are not satisfied with the way your complaint has been dealt with, an appointment will be made with one of our Managers so that they can discuss the matter with you.

We would like to resolve the matters at the informal stage. However, if you are unable to resolve the matter informally or if you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the informal complaint stage, then you will need to follow the Student Complaints Procedure Formal Stage. If you would like advice on how to make a Formal Complaint, please contact our Residence Management or Accommodation team. Remember that you will need to tell us what outcome you are hoping for from your complaint.

This is confidential and the details will not be disclosed to any other party. It is not possible to identify any individuals from the data collected in the online form. The University will use the information you provide to help us understand what kind of incidents are taking place within our community and take positive action.

To report something anonymously, visit the Exeter Speaks Out webpage.

The specific information you provide will remain confidential, and will not be passed on to anyone else without your permission. The only exception to this is if we feel there is an unacceptable risk to an individual or to the University. Further information is available on the 'Exeter Speaks Out' webpage.

A member of the Equality and Diversity team will contact you to begin a conversation about your report, how you would like to proceed and how we can support you. The University will use the information you provide to help us understand what kind of incidents are taking place within our community and take positive action.

To report an incident informally, visit the Exeter Speaks Out webpage.

There are two parts to the University’s Complaints Procedure. You are asked to complete the first stage before moving to the second formal stage if necessary.

Stage 1. Informal Stage

The University requires you to make an attempt to resolve the situation before we can consider the formal stage of a complaint. The informal stage is set out within the Student Complaints Procedure and can include actions such as:

• Conflict Resolution meeting (recommended)
• Informal ‘house’ meeting or one-to-one discussion
• Contact Guild Advice for advice and guidance  

If you cannot come to an agreement to resolve the situation informally, or you feel it is inappropriate or unsafe for you to enter into discussions with the other party, then the Welfare team may be able to help you find an alternative way forward.

Useful contacts:

• Welfare team: Email welfare@exeter.ac.uk or telephone 01392 724381
• Residence Life Team (for disputes in University Halls of Residence): Email residencelife@exeter.ac.uk
• Guild Advice : Email: advice@exeterguild.com

If you have endeavoured to resolve the issue informally, then you may wish to proceed to the formal complaint stage.

Stage 2. Formal Stage

The University can only take action when it is provided with details of the student(s) you are complaining about and evidence of their behaviour. You will also need to tell us what outcome you are hoping for from your complaint. In order for a complaint to be considered formally, you must put the complaint in writing on the online Complaint Form (which can be found within the Student Complaints Procedure) and submit it to the person in your College or Service who is nominated to deal with complaints. This process is not confidential, and we may discuss the information you provide with the student, and/or use it as part of the disciplinary process. We will discuss this with you beforehand. You should be aware that, on occasion, when a student complains about another student, there can be a counter-complaint.  In such cases, and depending on the evidence that is available, we may have to investigate allegations against you too.

It is useful to know what can be expected as an outcome from the complaints process before you decide to embark upon it.

What will happen if I make a complaint about other students?

• The University will take your complaint seriously and will listen to you.
• We will support you with advice and wellbeing assistance, regardless of the route you choose to take or the outcome of a complaint.
• We will assess any risk to yourself and other students and will act accordingly.
• At the end of the complaints process you will be informed whether your complaint has been upheld or not and whether action has been taken under the Disciplinary Procedures.

What will not happen if I make a complaint about other students?

• If a complaint has been upheld, and disciplinary action taken, due to rights of privacy under the data protection laws, we will not be able to tell you what penalty has been applied under the Disciplinary Procedures. This is because under the data protection laws we are unable to share sensitive personal data.
• The University cannot guarantee that the outcome will be what you have asked for.
• We will not be able to protect your confidentiality if you wish us to pursue an action as a result of your complaint, if we decide that there is a risk to your own safety or that of other students, and/or if the student that you are complaining about is on a regulated programme.