How to raise a concern, and what happens next.
If you are unhappy with a valuation we have prepared or with how we have dealt with you, we want to hear about it directly and first. Most concerns about a report are questions about reasoning and are resolved in a conversation with the valuer who wrote it. Where that does not settle matters, this page sets out our formal process, the timeframes we work to, and the external avenues available to you regardless of what we decide. Raising a complaint costs nothing and does not affect any other right you have.
Talk to the valuer who signed it.
Call 1300 768 862, or the valuer directly on 0422 026 728. Explain what you disagree with and why. A conversation with the person who inspected the property and wrote the report resolves the large majority of concerns, because most of them are about how a conclusion was reached rather than about conduct.
This is included in the fee, not billed as an extra, and there is no time limit on it. If you have identified a factual error — a wrong measurement, a comparable sale that has settled at a different figure, an assumption that turns out not to hold — bring it to us. Where an error is established we will correct the report and reissue it at no charge.
What a conversation cannot do is change a figure because it is inconvenient. A valuer who adjusted a conclusion on request would be worthless to the courts, auditors and revenue offices who have to accept these reports. If we think our figure is right, we will explain why and tell you plainly that we are not changing it.
Put it in writing to us.
If Stage One does not resolve it, write to us. Post to RPV, Level 4, 144 Edward Street, Brisbane City QLD 4000, or ask us for the email address to send it to. Set out what happened, what you want done about it, and attach anything relevant — the report, correspondence, and any competing valuation or evidence.
We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and tell you who is handling it. Where a complaint concerns a report signed by the Director, it will be reviewed with reference to the file, the evidence relied on and the applicable professional standards.
We will give you a substantive written response within 30 days of acknowledgement. If the matter is complex and we need longer, we will tell you before that deadline, explain why, and give you a revised date.
Our response will tell you what we found, what we are doing about it, and our reasons. If we do not accept your complaint we will say so and explain why, rather than leaving it unanswered.
External avenues, available to you at any time.
You do not have to exhaust our internal process before going elsewhere, and using ours does not limit your other rights.
Australian Property Institute. The API has a complaints and disciplinary process covering the professional conduct of its members. Our valuer is a Certified Practising Valuer of the API.
State registration boards. Where valuation work is subject to statutory registration, the registering authority handles complaints about registered valuers. For Queensland that is the Valuers Registration Board of Queensland; for Western Australia, the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety.
Privacy complaints. If your concern is about how we handled personal information, raise it with us first, and then with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner if you remain dissatisfied.
Consumer and legal remedies. Nothing in this policy affects any right you have under the Australian Consumer Law or your ability to take a matter to a court or tribunal.
Four commitments.
No cost, and no disadvantage. We do not charge for handling a complaint, and raising one will not affect how we deal with you on this or any other matter.
Confidentiality. A complaint is handled on the same confidential footing as the file it concerns, and disclosed only to those who need it to investigate or resolve it, or where we are required by law or by a regulator to produce it.
Records. Complaints and their outcomes are recorded and retained with the relevant file, and reviewed periodically so that recurring issues are addressed at their cause rather than one complaint at a time.
An honest answer. Where we have got something wrong we will say so, correct it, and tell you what we have changed. Where we have not, we will explain our reasoning and accept that you may take the matter further.