In this section
Competent Authorities are bodies that approve against the criteria in the regulations and monitor the continued compliance of approved ADR bodies. Currently the competent authorities approving ADR bodies in the UK are:
- Financial Conduct Authority
- Legal Services Board
- Civil Aviation Authority
- Gambling Commission
- Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OfGem)
- Office of Communications (OfCom)
- Lead Enforcement Authority for the purposes of the Estate Agents Act 1979 (1)
- Chartered Trading Standards Institute (on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)
Case study:
Beam Building Services operates as a general builder and is a member of a trade body. To be a member of the trade body Beam Building Services has to adhere to the code of conduct or it could lose its membership benefits. Part of the 'code of conduct' is that if it has a dispute with a consumer and is unable to resolve it satisfactorily, it must be willing to use ADR.
Mrs Williams has had some work carried out in her bedroom and has contacted Beam Building Services to say that some of the plaster has cracked. Beam Building Services does not feel that this has any link to the work that it carried out for Mrs Williams. Beam Building Services tells Mrs Williams that there is information on its website and in the terms and conditions provided to her at the time when the work was agreed about who she needs to contact for ADR. The company also sent her a letter with the name and web address of the ADR body that can deal with this dispute and says that it is happy to co-operate with the process.