{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/friendly-societies-act-1992/section-81",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/friendly-societies-act-1992/section-81.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1992/40",
  "legislation_title": "Friendly Societies Act 1992",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/friendly-societies-act-1992",
  "path": "section/81",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "81",
  "heading": "Complaints by members of friendly societies.",
  "text": "(1) Nothing in section 80 above shall affect the power of a friendly society or registered branch—\n(a) to establish internal procedures for the resolution of complaints; or\n(b) to make, to join with any other persons in making, or to accede to, schemes for the investigation and settlement by an adjudicator of complaints;\nbut a society or branch may not prevent a member from referring any dispute to arbitration under that section by purporting to require instead the making of a complaint or the acceptance of any determination of a complaint.\n(2) The FCA shall have the function of promoting the establishment by friendly societies and registered branches of—\n(a) internal complaints procedures; and\n(b) schemes for the investigation and settlement of complaints;\nand, in particular, the FCA may issue such guidance on those matters to friendly societies and registered branches as it thinks fit.\n(3) In this section—\n“accede”, in relation to a scheme, means assume the obligations and rights of membership of the scheme;\n“complaint” includes any complaint made by a member about action of a friendly society or branch which constitutes (in relation to that member) unfair treatment, maladministration or breach of any contractual or other duty and causes him pecuniary loss or inconvenience;\n“member” in relation to a friendly society or branch includes any person who is or was a member of the society or branch or is claiming through a member or under the rules; and\n“action” includes omissions.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Word in s. 81(2) substituted (1.4.2013) by The Financial Services Act 2012 (Mutual Societies) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/496), art. 1(1), Sch. 9 para. 33 (with Sch. 12)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/40/section/81",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:35:45.024631+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}