Make a complaint

Although we try to deliver a good service at all times, occasionally things can go wrong. If this happens we would like to hear from you.  Your comments are important to us as we use them to try to improve our service to you.

How to complain

This can be by email, phone, letter, face to face, website or social media. We can accept a complaint over the phone, noting the complaint details in your own words and emailing/sending the notes to you (with an SAE) to confirm or correct as needed.

You can use the contact form or you can call the office to request a form to fill in by hand. You can also download the fillable form here which you can email back to us: Complaint form

When to make a complaint
Please make a complaint if our service is poor or if it has left you dissatisfied or unhappy. For example, you might want to complain if:

• we fail to carry out a repair;
• staff or contractors have been unhelpful;
• we have given you incorrect information;
• we, or the people we employ, are treating certain groups of people unfairly; or
• we have not done something we should have done. If your home or an item in it needs a repair or replacement, please report this as a repair (see your handbook leaflet: Repairs and maintenance).

If something has gone wrong but you do not want to make a complaint, please either write to us explaining what has happened or send a message from the Contact Us page.

If something does go wrong, please make your complaint as quickly as possible. Unfortunately we cannot deal with complaints about something that happened more than 12 months ago.

What happens when I make a complaint?

• We acknowledge complaints within 5 working days.
• The manager of the relevant service area will contact you to discuss your complaint and see if it can be resolved at this point.
• Your complaint is discussed at the Complaints & Resolutions Panel meeting, which is a group made up of officers and managers from Housing Management and
• Property Services, plus the Office & Resources Manager acting in the role of Complaints Officer.  It also includes members of the Management Team.
• Stage 1 response will be within 10 working days from the receipt of the complaint. Where this is not possible, we will notify you why there is a delay and a full reply will be no later than 20 working days from receipt.
• Where a complaint has not been resolved to the customer’s satisfaction, the customer may request to progress to stage 2.  We acknowledge this within 5 working days and the Complaints Officer will record as stage two of the process.
• The Stage 2 complaint will be considered by the Complaints Panel, which is a sub group from the Association’s Board. A member of the Resident Panel may be asked to give comments in advance or to attend the Stage 2 hearing.
• Stage 2 response will be within 20 working days from the complaint being acknowledged. The Panel will decide whether an extension to this timescale is needed, considering the complexity of the complaint and then inform the resident of the expected timescale for response. Any extension must be no more than 20 working days without good reason, and the reason(s) must be clearly explained to the resident.

What if I am still not satisfied?
If you are not happy with the outcome, we can pass your complaint to a small panel of members of our board called the complaints panel. They will look at all the relevant papers and the way we have handled your complaint. The panel will invite you to a meeting to make your case in person, although you do not need to go.  You can, of course, have someone with you to support or represent you.

Can I take my complaint to anyone else if I am not satisfied with your response?

If, at any stage, you aren’t happy with our responses, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service in the following ways:

• Online: https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/residents/make-a-complaint/
• Email: info@housingombudsman.org.uk • Phone: 0300 111 3000
• Write to: Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 1484, Unit D, Preston, PR2 0ET

First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber – residential)
If a leaseholder is not satisfied with the outcome of his or her complaint at stage 2, they may take that complaint to the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber -residential). Generally the Housing Ombudsman Service will not deal with complaints from leaseholders, although they will deal with some types of service delivery issues.

Keniston self-assessment 23-24

HOS Complaint Handling Code

You can get leaflets about the Housing Ombudsman direct from the Ombudsman Service or from our office.

You can also ask your local MP or a Councillor to assist you. 

Compensation
If we fail to meet any of our obligations you may be able to claim compensation. We have our own compensation policy which covers certain circumstances. Or, you can contact the housing services manager or get independent advice.

We do not pay compensation following damage to your home or its contents after, for example, a water leak, unless it is clear that we have been negligent in repairing the property. We strongly advise you to make sure that you are adequately insured for these circumstances.  Please ask for a copy of our compensation policy.

What we do with complaints

The Management Team and Board annually review complaints that have been received; the decisions taken and changes implemented as a result.

Member Responsible for Complaints (MRC)

Keniston will appoint one of its Board members to have lead responsibility for complaints, to support a positive complaint handling culture.  This role will ensure the Board receives regular information on complaints that provide insight to the Association’s complaint handling performance.

Any other questions
If you have any other questions, please contact the complaints officer at our office.

We are committed to fair treatment in employment and service delivery.