7.1 Complainants who are dissatisfied with any aspect of their service or response to their service request can escalate to the formal two-stage procedure, at any time, through any of the routes available: in person via their Scheme Managers, through our feedback telephone line, email address or social media.
7.2 At stage one, formal complaints should be acknowledged within five working days by the appointed complaint handler from the date of receipt. The complaint handler can contact the complainant to agree the nature of their complaint, or ‘complaint definition’, the preferred outcome/s and timescales for response, which will then be included within a stage one acknowledgement.
7.3 Stage one complaints will be triaged which includes an assessment any resident vulnerabilities, whether the need for an extension is likely and other considerations around the investigation, investigated and responded to within the subsequent 10 working days. The formal response is reviewed by their Line Manager.
7.4 If it is not possible to respond within 10 working days, contact will be made to advise of the required extension period with the complainant, preferably with their agreement and confirmed in writing. This will generally be up to 10 working days unless there are extenuating circumstances. Should a complainant be dissatisfied with the application of an extension period, we advise that the complainant has the right to take this decision to the Housing Ombudsman for review.
7.5 Complainants who are dissatisfied with any aspect of the stage one response can then ask to escalate to stage two, within a six-month period from the date of the stage one response, however each request outside of this time must be considered on its own merits. A stage two review is conducted by the Managing Director / Director for the area of business to which the complaint relates. Only the reasons set out in section nine would constitute a valid reason not to accept an escalation of the complaint, which would be set out to the complainant and recorded on ERICA.
7.6 Stage two escalations should be forwarded to the complaints inbox, where a member of the Strategic Operations Team (SOT) will contact the complainant to agree the nature of their dissatisfaction with the stage one response, their preferred outcome/s and timescales for response. These will be included in the stage two acknowledgement which must be issued within five working days from the date of escalation/receipt. However, it should be noted that a complainant does not need to provide a reason for escalation, and the information included within any escalation should be included within the stage two acknowledgement.
7.7 Stage two complaints should be responded to within 20 working days of acknowledgement. If it is not possible to respond within 20 working days, contact will be made to advise of the required extension period with the complainant, preferably with their agreement. This will generally be up to 20 working days unless there are extenuating circumstances. Should a complainant be dissatisfied with the application of an extension period, we advise that the complainant has the right to take this decision to the Housing Ombudsman for review.
7.8 This will conclude our formal complaints procedure. Should a complainant remain dissatisfied with the outcome of their complaint, we advise that the complainant has the right to take this decision to the Housing Ombudsman for review.
7.9 A separate employee guidance document further details management of the process and record keeping. However, where required refer to your line manager or the Strategic Operations Team for support and advice.
