Feedback, complaints and appeals

Unison is committed to providing quality services to our clients, renters and community.

To help us do this, we welcome your feedback on any aspect of our service and operations.

We encourage you to share your stories, good news and any community or local events that we can pass on to renters and networks.

Complaints Policy

Unison’s Complaints, Reviews and Feedback Policy outlines how we;

• Provide any person with the opportunity to provide feedback, make a complaint or appeal against a Unison decision or provision of service.
• Manage the feedback, complaints and appeals process.
• Use feedback to identify opportunities for the improvement of our services.

What is a complaint and appeal?

A complaint is any matter where you believe Unison has not acted appropriately or in line with its responsibilities.

You may appeal that decision if you are unhappy with the complaint outcome or process.

Disputes exist outside of Unison and are covered by other legislation, e.g. the Residential Tenancies Act (Vic) 1997 and include neighbour disputes or paying rent.

Who can make a complaint or lodge an appeal?

Any person has the right to express their dissatisfaction with Unison.

How can you provide feedback, make a complaint or appeal?

We recommend that you (or your nominated advocate or support person) talk directly to your contact at Unison or the person you think is responsible for fixing the problem and describe;

• what happened
• why are you not satisfied
• what action do you think should be taken
• take notes and keep a record of who you talked to, what you talked about and when you spoke to them.

If it is not possible to speak directly to someone or you're not comfortable doing so, please complete the online form below, or provide your feedback, complaint or appeal via:

• Phone: 03 9349 0250
• Letter: PO Box 12145 A'Beckett St, Melbourne VIC 8006

Don't hesitate to contact Unison if you need support when making a complaint.

If you need an interpreter to help you, Unison will provide one.

Managing the complaint or appeal

When you make a complaint or lodge an appeal, Unison will aim to acknowledge, respond and provide a resolution within 30 business days. We will let you know if there are any delays in resolving your problem.

Privacy

Unison respects your privacy and manages all personal information under privacy legislation. Further details about how we collect, handle, use and disclose your personal information is contained in our Information Privacy Policy All complaints and appeals are confidential, and no identifying information will be shared without permission.

For more information, please read the Unison Complaints Resolution brochure.

Feedback, Complaints and Appeals Form

Escalation of complaints and appeals

If you have previously complained about a matter to Unison and you are not satisfied with Unison’s response, you can:

• request an internal review by an independent Manager at Unison by completing the Feedback, Complaints and Appeal form
• pursue the matter through

the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) 
https://www.vcat.vic.gov.au/
Phone 03 7005 8984

the Housing Registrar
https://www.vic.gov.au/housing-registrar
Phone 1300 366 356

Consumer Affairs Victoria
https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/contact-us/resolve-your-problem-or-complaint/overview
Phone 1300 558181

The Victorian Ombudsman
https://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/
Phone 1800 806 314

You can also get further independent advice from:

A solicitor

Tenants Victoria (for matters relating to tenancies)
https://tenantsvic.org.au/

The Victorian Public Tenants Association (for public tenants and people on the Victorian Housing Register)
https://vpta.org.au/