Approved Regulator complaint process

In most cases, we expect that the person or body making a complaint will complain directly to the Approved Regulator in the first instance.

When we receive an Approved Regulator complaint we will let you know if it is one we can investigate. 

If it is, we will write to the Approved Regulator requesting its response and any relevant documents to allow us to carry out our investigation. We can ask for more information from you, or the Approved Regulator if needed.

Depending on the nature of the complaint, we may look for opportunities for an agreed outcome between you and the Approved Regulator. 

Otherwise, we will complete our investigation. Depending on the complexity of the complaint, we may produce an interim report, which will be shared with both parties for comment. 

A final report with our findings and recommendations will be shared with you and the Approved Regulator, then a decision on whether or not to uphold the complaint will be made by a Determination Committee of independent commissioners.

If we uphold the complaint, we will submit our final report and decision to Scottish Ministers, who will decide on any sanctions to be applied. We will then issue our decision and Scottish Ministers’ decision to you and the Approved Regulator.  

The format of our report may vary. In some cases there will be confidential information which we cannot release. You will be advised if information is being restricted.

We will consider whether to publish our full report or a statement on the case, depending on the nature and circumstances of the complaint.