What to do if you are unhappy with our service

As strange as it may seem, we really do want to hear your complaints! But do you know how to complain to us? Read on to find out more.

If you are ever dissatisfied with the standard of the housing service and feel we haven’t taken appropriate action or responded in a suitable way, you can make a complaint. We use your complaints to learn lessons and make important changes.

It is important to remember that a complaint is different from a service request (which is when you ask for us to put something right). For example, reporting a repair for the first time is not a complaint, but if we fail to respond to your initial reports or do a bad job, this is a complaint.

Making a complaint

You can make a formal complaint by:

• Completing our online complaint form
• Calling 023 8083 3006 (option seven)
• Talking to any member of council staff
• Writing to your Local Housing Office
• Completing a paper complaint form available at any council office

The process

As soon as a complaint is made, it follows a formal complaint procedure. This ensures that all complaints are treated fairly and follow the correct process in specified timescales. 

Stage 1

When you make a formal complaint, we will acknowledge and confirm we properly understand your complaint within five working days, and what remedy (resolution) you would like us to achieve.

Your complaint will be referred to the relevant service area, where an investigation will be launched. We will let you know the outcome of your complaint within 10 working days (complex cases can take longer but we will always keep you updated). If we have made mistakes, we will let you know what we plan to do to put the situation right.

Stage 2

We aim to resolve your complaint at the earliest opportunity but if we have failed to do so and you are still not satisfied, you can request that your complaint be escalated to stage 2. At stage 2, it will be independently reviewed either by the Complaints Resolution team or by the Tenants Panel.

The independent review will look at the case and the relevant council policy. If the review decides the council has acted unfairly or the decision is incorrect, they can make recommendations to the Director of Housing.

If you have completed all stages of our complaints procedure and are still unhappy with the outcome or the way your complaint was handled, you can ask The Housing Ombudsman for an independent review of the situation. The Housing Ombudsman is an independent body who oversees all council housing landlord and tenant-related issues.

We need your feedback

Have you ever had the need to complain to us? We want to hear about your experience of complaining to the council. Was it easy to make a complaint? Did you understand the process that was followed, and were you treated politely with respect?

Please get in touch and let us know about your experiences so that we can learn lessons and strive to improve. We have recently appointed a new Complaints Officer to oversee the stage 1 process that all complaints made about the housing service follow, and he is keen to hear from any tenant or leaseholder who has made a complaint in the past.