New complaint handling code – what it means for residents
We’re committed to providing the best service possible, but we know sometimes things go wrong. We want to hear from you when this happens so that we can put things right as quickly as possible.
A new Complaint Handling Code to help empower residents who wish to make a complaint came into practice on 1 April 2024. It sets out the statutory requirements for landlords to effectively and fairly respond to complaints.
The Code was issued following new powers given to the Housing Ombudsman under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023.
For residents the Code explains your rights and what can be expected when a complaint is made to a landlord. It also gives information on making and progressing a complaint.
For a landlord, like settle complying with the Code is a legal requirement and where a landlord does not comply with the code, they could be issued with a complaint handling failure order.
Landlords are also required to complete an annual assessment against the Code as part of their annual complaints performance and service improvement report. The result of this assessment then needs to be published on their website. We are preparing this now and aim to share the report with residents on our website before 30 June 2024.
More information on our complaints procedure and how to make a complaint can be found on our How we handle complaints webpage. You can also find more information about the Housing Ombudsman Service on their website.