What we do
Our remit
Types of complaint that we can investigate
When we investigate complaints about the organisations, we compare what they have done against their own published standards and Codes of Practice. We look to ensure that, during their handling of your affairs, the organisations have followed these standards and instructions fairly and consistently.
We can look at complaints about:
- mistakes
- unreasonable delays
- poor or misleading advice
- inappropriate staff behaviour
- the use of discretion
But we cannot look at:
- matters of government or departmental policy.
- matters which can be considered on appeal by independent tribunals
- disputes with the VOA about property valuations
- issues that the courts have already considered, or could have considered
- complaints that have been, or are being, investigated by the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
- complaints about HMRC's or the VOA's, handling of requests under both the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Data Protection Act 1998, which should be considered by the Information Commissioner.