Regulation
           of Notaries

Is is my aim to provide quality service for clients.
If you do have a complaint however, the prodedure is as follows:

• My notarial practice is regulated by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury:
  The Faculty Office, 1, The Sanctuary, Westminster, London, SW1P 3JT
  Telephone: 020 7222 5381
  Email: faculty.office@1thesanctuary.com
  Website: www.facultyoffice.org.uk
• If you are in any way dissatisfied about the service you have received please do not hesitate to contact me.
• If we are unable to resolve the matter you may then complain to The Notaries Society of which I am a member.
  They have an approvied Complaints Procedure.
  This procedure is free to use and is designed to provide a quick resolution to any dispute.
• If necessary the Notaries Society may refer the matter to the Faculty Office. Their details can be found above.
• The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

  Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within the set time limits.

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TIME LIMITS FOR MAKING COMPLAINTS TO THE LEGAL OMBUDSMAN (LEO)

From the 1st April 2023 the Legal Ombudsman (LEO) have made important changes to the scheme and these are as follows:-

• 1. Time limits for bringing complaints
  The time limit for referring a complaint to LEO will be not later than one year from the date
  • a. Of the act or omission being complained about or
  • b. When the complainant should have realised that there was a cause for complaint.

  The LEO will have discretion to accept out of time complaints in circumstances where it deems it “fair and reasonable to do so”.

• 2. Discretion to dismiss or discontinue complaints
  The LEO will introduce additional circumstances in which an Ombudsman can dismiss or discontinue a case
  • a. If they were satisfied that the complainant has not suffered significant loss, distress, inconvenience or detriment
  • b. Where the size or complexity of the complaint, or the behaviour of the complainant, results in the complaint requiring a disproportionate use of resources
  • c. Where there has been undue delay in bringing a complaint
  • d. Where a service provider has made a reasonable offer to resolve the matter that has been accepted by the complainant before they refer the complaint to LEO.

• 3. Discretion to decline to issue an Ombudsman decision
  LEO will have discretion to consider a complaint to have been resolved on the basis of an investigator’s case decision if neither party provides any substantive reasons for disagreeing with that decision.

  An Ombudsman my conclude that a final decision is not needed on a case if no substantive issues have been raised in response to the investigators findings or remedy.

  LEO expects service providers to honour a recommendation by an Ombudsman that a remedy is payable.

  If a service provider fails to do so within a defined period of time, the complainant can request that the case is passed to an Ombudsman for a decision.

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If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.

Contact details
Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9.00 to 17.00.

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH