Housing Complaints Procedure
Raising a housing complaint
A complaint should be raised if you feel:
- Dissatisfied with the service that you have received or a service request is taking too long
- If a member of our staff, or someone working on our behalf, has treated you unfairly
- If you have been told that you cannot have help or use a service provided
The easiest way to raise a complaint with us is by using our online complaints webpage. Complaints can also be made in person to members of staff, via the telephone or email, to our main Ashford Borough Council customer service department on 01233 331111 or customer.care@ashford.gov.uk.
Our Procedure
The Housing Ombudsman Service publishes a Complaints Handling Code which sets out how we, as a social housing landlord, should respond to complaints from our tenants and leaseholders. The Code, which is reviewed periodically by the Housing Ombudsman, has been designed to make sure we deal with complaints fairly, efficiently and effectively.
Part of our responsibility in relation to this Code is to carry out an annual Self Assessment, which includes 'must and should' actions for us to implement. The most recent Self Assessment has been completed (as of January 2024) and the findings will be shared with our Elected Members ahead of publishing on the website. The recent Self Assessment has identified a small number of recommendations for us to undertake. As soon as the recommendations have been shared with our Elected Members, it will be accessible to download from this page or we can provide it in another appropriate format for tenants and leaseholders.
Currently the Housing Service are handling complaints in line with the Housing Ombudsman Code but also reflecting the Corporate Policy for the Borough Council.
The Code of Guidance and other useful information relating to the Housing Ombudsman can be found using the following by visiting the Housing Ombudsman website.
Below is our current complaints process, which is set out into two stages:
Stage One
When a complaint is received an acknowledgment will be sent to the complainant.
Your complaint will be allocated to an appropriate colleague who will carry out the investigation and provide you with a response. As part of this stage one process they will contact you to discuss your complaint in detail, understand what the issues are and what resolution you are looking for. As per the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code we aim to provide a stage one complaint response in 10 working days. However, it may be necessary and appropriate to agree with you an extension of the target response time. This scenario would be in exceptional circumstances and only to ensure that all aspects of your complaint have been fully investigated and that the right resolution is identified and implemented.
Stage Two
Although we aim to resolve all complaints at stage one, if you are unhappy with our initial response or feel we have not dealt with your complaint to your satisfaction, your complaint can be escalated to stage two. The stage one response and any relevant information will then be reviewed by the Assistant Director for Housing. As per the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code target a stage two response will be sent within 20 working days. Should it be necessary and appropriate to extend the complaint response time at stage two, we will contact you to discuss this and agree to extend the deadline by a further 10 working days.
Please note that if you raise a new issue at this stage, we may treat it as a new and separate complaint.
If you are still not happy with how we’ve handled your complaint through all the formal stages of our complaints process, or are unhappy with the resolution or result, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service and ask them to look into your complaint on your behalf.
The Housing Ombudsman Service looks at complaints and resolves disputes between landlords and tenants. Their service is free, independent and impartial. You can contact them at any stage for help about your complaint, but they will usually only investigate it once you have completed the two-stage formal process as set out above.
The Housing Ombudsman can be contacted by:
Post: Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 152, Liverpool L33 7WQ
Telephone: 0300 111 3000
Email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
You can also contact your MP or a local councillor and ask them to contact us about your complaint or they can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service for you.
Legal proceedings
Please be advised, Ashford Borough Council does not accept service by electronic means of any legal proceedings. Should you seek to pursue a claim/commence legal proceedings/serve legal documents including Pre-action Protocol letters on Ashford Borough Council, please address your documents to ‘Mr T Mortimer, the Solicitor to the Council & Monitoring Officer’ and either by post or by hand, deliver to the council’s offices set out below:
Ashford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Tannery Lane, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PL.
