We want to provide good quality services. When our service is
not as good as it should be, we want to know about it so we have
the chance to put things right. The information below tells you
what to do if you have a compliment comment or complaint.
Compliment
We want to hear from you if we have done something well. Your
compliment will be passed on to the relevant Service Manager and
the member of staff and we will decide if any further action is
necessary.
Comments
If you have a comment
about a service you have received, but you may not consider this to
be a complaint, then please let us know. We will
consider all the comments we receive and decide if any further
action is necessary. We will acknowledge your comment and tell you
what action will be taken.
What is a
complaint?
A complaint is anything that has caused you to be unhappy
about the service you have received from us. Complaints may be
about poor or slow service, lack of service, lack of information,
quality of service, conduct or attitude of staff and
contractors.
We aim to:
- deal with your complaint quickly
- handle it fairly and politely
- look into it fully
- resolve the problem where possible
We hope that most problems and difficulties can be solved
informally. Therefore the first thing you should do is contact
your Housing Management Officer
or other relevant member of staff, by phone, in person, email or
writing; telling them what the problem is. If it is about a repair
contact Development and Property Services on
Freephone 0800 5870211. We will respond immediately,
and try to solve your problem as quickly as possible.
If you should remain unhappy, you can use our Complaints
Procedure.
Step 1: Making your
complaint
All complaints will be referred to the Service
Improvement Officer at The Garth. Use our complaints form,
giving details of your complaint and what you think we should do to
put things right. Alternatively you could record your complaint on
tape, or ask a member of staff to write it down for you.
What you can expect from us:
We will send you a letter telling you that we are
looking into your complaint. You will get this letter within 2
working days of us receiving the form. We will tell
you:
- when you can expect a full
reply
- the name of the person who will be dealing
with your complaint.
We aim to give you a full reply within 10 working
days. Usually we can do this but if your complaint is complicated,
it may take longer. If this happens, we will let you know within 10
working days explaining:
- why a full reply will take
longer
- what we are doing to deal with your
complaint
- when you can expect an
answer
If we agree that you had a good reason to complain,
we will apologise and try to put things right as soon as we can. If
we disagree or cannot put things right, we will tell you
why.
Step 2: What to do if you're still not
happy
If you are not happy with our reply, contact
the Service Improvement
Officer at The Garth. You can write a letter or use
the complaints form. You should explain why you are not happy with
our reply and what action you think we should take.
What you can expect from us:
We will ask a Service Manager to take a fresh look
at your complaint and carry out an investigation. We will write to
you with the results of the investigation within 15 working
days.
If the Service Manager thinks you had a good reason
to complain, we will apologise and take action to put things right
as soon as possible.
Step 3: What to do if you want to take your
complaint further
If you are not happy with the reply, please contact the
Service Improvement Officer who will refer the matter to the
Director
of Housing and Community Services. .
You should explain why you are not happy with our replies
and what action you think we should take.
What you can expect from us:
We will arrange a meeting of a Review Panel to look
at your complaint. We will invite you to this meeting, and you may
bring along a friend or advocate for support if you like. There
will be three members of the Review Panel:
- The Chair of
the JRHT
Board
- A member of the JRHT Board probably one of the resident
members
A Director from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation who has had no
previous dealings with your complaint.
The Chair of the JRHT Board will write to you with
the decision of the Review Panel within 10 working days of the
meeting.
If the Panel thinks you had good reason to complain,
the Chair will apologise and take action to put things right as
soon as possible.
A confidential report about your complaint and the
Review Panel decision will be presented at the next JRHT Board
meeting.
The Independent Housing
Ombudsman
If you have tried all three steps in our Complaints
Procedure and you are still not satisfied, then you have the right
to take your complaint to the Independent Housing
Ombudsman.
You can get information about the Independent Housing Ombudsman
cheme from:
- Any of our offices
- The Citizens Advice Bureau
- The Housing Corporation
But remember, the Ombudsman will only deal with your complaint
if you have gone through the three steps in out complaints
procedure.
The Independent Housing Ombudsman is not able to consider
complaints relating to the level of rent or service charge on a
property.
Persistent complaints
We reserve the right to refuse to deal with complaints that are
pursued in an unreasonable way. In these circumstances the
complainant would still be able to take their complaint straight to
the Ombudsman.
Contact addresses:
Independent Housing Ombudsman
Norman House
105 - 109 Strand
London
WC2R OAA
Tel 020 7836 3630
Local Leasehold Valuation Tribunal
Sunlay Tower
Piccadilly Plaza
Manchester
M1 4BE
Tel: 0845 100 2614