If you have a complaint, please speak first to the member of staff who has been dealing with the matter. Give them the opportunity to put things right, or explain their decision. We would hope the problem can be resolved at this stage.
If you are unhappy with their response, click here to complete our complaints form or write to the Complaints Officer, who co-ordinates and monitors all complaints.
If you have difficulty putting your complaint in writing, you can speak to a member of staff in person at our offices or over the phone. He or she will help you with your complaint.
We can refuse to consider your complaint under our procedure if you are making the complaint in an unreasonable way or if there is a more appropriate way of solving the dispute.
When we receive your formal complaint the Complaints Officer will deal with it. We will tell you the name of the officer responsible for your complaint and they will be your point of contact.
We will follow a set procedure that has three stages:
We will acknowledge your complaint in writing within five working days of receiving it. The acknowledgement letter will give you the name of the officer who will handle your complaint and who will be your point of contact. . They will look into the matter and will try to send you a full written response within 10 working days of receiving your complaint.
If you are unhappy with the response, you must let the contact officer know within 28 days of receiving the response and explain why you are not satisfied. Your complaint will be passed to a senior manager, who will review the matter and aim to send you a full written response within 10 working days.
If you aren't satisfied with the way we have handled your complaint, you may ask for a further review by our Chief Executive. You must let your contact officer know within 28 days and explain why you are not satisfied with the response at Stage 2. The Chief Executive may ask to meet you to find a solution before going on to a Complaint Panel meeting.
Sometimes a Stage 3 meeting will not change a Stage 2 decision. If so, we will suggest that you can take your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman.
The Complaint Panel is made up of the Chief Executive or delegated Director and two Board members. We aim to set up the panel within 15 working days. You may bring a friend or representative to this meeting, where you can present your case to panel members. They will aim to give you a full written response within 10 working days of the hearing.
The panel's decision is final and is the last stage of our internal procedure. If you remain unhappy with the outcome, you can complain to the Independent Housing Ombudsman.
The OmbudsmanThe Ombudsman is an independent person who will investigate complaints about housing associations, and will act in a fair and objective way. The Ombudsman will normally expect you to have gone all the way through our internal complaints procedures first.
Full details about the Ombudsman are available from our offices or:
The Independent Housing Ombudsman Ltd
81 Aldwych
London WC2B 4HN
Tel: 020 7241 3800
Fax: 020 7831 1942
LoCall: 084 5712 5973
Minicom: 020 7404 7092
Email: ihol@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
