If you are unhappy with our service and you would like to make a complaint, you can do so in the following ways:
Please remember that the more information you are able to give us, the easier it will be to investigate your complaint.
If your complaint is about a single issue and can be fully resolved to your satisfaction in 5 working days, we may agree with you that we log this as a quick fix and don’t send a formal response.
We have a two-stage complaint process
Stage one
At stage one, your complaint will be handled by your housing officer (HO) or property management officer (PMO). If your complaint is about your HO/PMO it will be dealt with by their line manager. They aim to contact you to acknowledge your complaint within two working days to discuss your complaint and the outcome you are seeking.
If your complaint is complex or needs investigating in more detail you will receive a formal written response to your complaint within 10 working days or we will agree an alternative date with you (written responses can be translated into a preferred form or language on request). If any issues are outstanding, we will agree an action plan with you.
Stage two
This is the final stage of the complaint process.
If you are unhappy with the outcome at stage one please contact the person who responded to your stage one complaint advising them you wish to escalate and why. So we can deal with anything you raise as quickly as we can, you should try to do this within 20 working days of receiving the response.
Your complaint will be reviewed by two managers, one in the same business area and the second from elsewhere in Notting Hill Genesis. You also have the option to have an independent resident, from a pool of residents, review this too.
We aim to review your complaint and send a formal written response within 20 working days (written responses can be translated into a preferred form or language on request). We will keep in contact with you during this time and if we can’t respond within this time we will agree on an alternative date with you. If any issues are outstanding we will agree an action plan with you.
For more information on how to make a complaint and how your complaint will be dealt with, see our information leaflet.
The Housing Ombudsman
The Housing Ombudsman Service was set up to resolve disputes involving the tenants and leaseholders of social landlords. The service is free, independent, and impartial.
You can approach the Housing Ombudsman at any time for independent advice on your complaint.
Once your complaint has exhausted our internal procedure, if you are still unhappy you can ask the Housing Ombudsman to review the complaint.
You can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service at:
Housing Ombudsman Service
PO Box 152
Liverpool
L33 7WQ
E14 9GE
0300 111 3000
www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
The Housing Ombudsman Service is set up by law to resolve disputes involving the tenants and leaseholders of social landlords (housing associations and local authorities) and voluntary members.
In March 2022 the Housing Ombudsman published a revised Complaint Handling Code which provides good practice for landlords on fair and effective complaint handling. The Housing Ombudsman will expect any case coming to their attention to have been managed in line with the new code. We have published a self-assessment against the revised code on 1 August 2023.
Your questions answered
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What is a complaint?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by NHG, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents. An expression of dissatisfaction does not need to include the word complaint to be handled in line with this policy.
It could be that:
- We have failed to respond to your initial enquiries
- Our staff were unhelpful or were not polite
- We have failed to meet one of our customer service promises
- We gave unclear, misleading or unsuitable advice
There are some issues that we don't consider to be a complaint, such as reporting a repair for the first time or reporting anti-social behaviour (ASB). These are detailed in our complaints policy.
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Are there other ways for me to help improve your service?
We offer a range of different ways for residents to get involved in influencing the way we run our services and measuring how well we are doing.
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I want to take my complaint straight to the Housing Ombudsman
You can approach the Housing Ombudsman at any time for independent advice around your complaint, however, they will not usually investigate this until you have been through our complaints procedure.
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What does the resident reviewer do?
As part of our stage 2 process you are able to request a resident reviewer to look at your complaint, as well as two managers. The resident reviewer will look at your complaint, the stage 1 response and how the decision was made and will provide feedback to the responding manager who will incorporate this into their final response. The resident reviewer is part of the stage 2 process, not an additional step, you will still receive your response within 20 days.
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Are there other types of Ombudsman?
Depending on the type of complaint you are raising, there may be a more suitable Ombudsman who can look into your concerns.
You can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service at:
If your complaint relates to one of our financial products, please refer to:
If your complaint relates to nominations or transfers from your local authority, you should refer your complaint to:
- The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
PO Box 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH
0300 061 0614
www.lgo.org.uk
If your complaint relates to service charges or rent adjustments, you can refer the issue to the First Tier Tribunal at any stage in your dispute.
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What are we doing to improve our complaints process?
- Residents can now log complaints themselves on My Account. In 2021/22, 62% of complaints were raised using My Account, in 2022/23 this increased to 75%
- We have worked with our involved residents to update our website and complaints leaflet, making it easier for residents to complain when things go wrong.
- We have focused more on ‘quick fixes’ to resolve complaints as quickly as possible when things do wrong.
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What are the main reasons people complain?
In 2021/22 the main reasons for complaints were repairs (48%), housing management (17%), and heating and hot water (9%)
In 2022/23, the main reason for complaints remained the same repairs (61%), housing management (11%), and heating and hot water (8%)
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How are we performing?
We are committed to responding to our complaints in a timely manner, in line with the Ombudsman Code. We aim to respond within 10 working days at stage 1 and 20 working days at stage 2 or to agree on an alternative date for response with you. The table below summarises our performance:
| |
2021/22 end of year |
2022/23 end of year |
2023/24 at 30 June 2023 |
| % of complaints received and resolved as a Quick Fix without the need for a formal response |
58% |
60% |
42% |
| Number of complaints resolved at stage 1 |
2,906 |
3,022 |
648 |
| % of stage 1 complaints responded within 10 days, or the time we agreed with the resident |
72% |
70% (target 82%) |
66.5% (target 100%) |
| % of complaints escalated to stage 2 |
12% |
10.5% (target 12%) |
8.1% (target 12%) |
| % of stage 2 complaints responded to within 20 days, or the time we agreed with the resident |
70% |
68% (target 83%) |
74.2% (target 100%) |
| Number of complaints determined by the Housing Ombudsman |
60 |
58 |
28 |
| % of Ombudsman determinations with a finding of maladministration or service failure |
45% |
48% |
47% |
We'll update this information regularly.
Last updated August 2023.
Read our complaints and compliments policy
