Complaints
Hightown Praetorian & Churches Housing Association aims to provide an efficient, effective and sympathetic service to its licensees, tenants, leaseholders and applicants.
From time to time, however, there may be occasions when our customers are less than happy with our response to a particular problem or request. When this happens and the dissatisfaction is brought to our attention, we will endeavour to resolve the complaint as quickly as possible in accordance with the following procedures
Informal Stage
To attempt to resolve a complaint at the earliest opportunity, before the need for a formal approach, a complainant will be asked to take the matter up in the first instance with the member of staff concerned or their immediate line manager. The correspondence response time within the Customer Charter will apply (7 working days in 2007/08). They will be asked to state what they want us to do to resolve their complaint.
Formal Stage 1
If a complaint is not resolved during the informal stage the Senior Manager for the Service will investigate and respond within 10 working days.
Formal Stage 2
If the complainant remains dissatisfied the Chief Executive will review the findings of the investigation at stages 1 and 2 and reply within 10 working days.
Formal stage 3
If the complainant is not satisfied with the response from the Chief Executive a panel will be convened as soon as possible and within six weeks of hearing from the complainant, made up of the Chair (or Vice Chair of the Association in the chair’s absence), the Chair of the relevant service Committee (or in their absence another Main Board Member who is a member of the relevant Committee), and a member of the relevant Committee who is a resident of the Association or a service user. The complainant will be offered the opportunity to meet with the panel. Where this may delay matters due to availability of panel members the opportunity will be to meet with at least one member of the panel who is also a member of the Main Board.
External Remedies
A number of external avenues exist for complainants who remain dissatisfied with the outcome from the Association’s internal complaints process. These will be publicised in handbooks, leaflets and on the Association’s website. In summary they are:
The Housing Ombudsman Service. The Ombudsman will not usually consider complaints that have not already been through an Association’s own complaints process.
Residents of a registered care home or a supported housing service registered under the Care Standards Act (2000) will be advised that they may also contact the Commission for Social Care Inspection at any stage.
Users of a Care & Supported Housing Service that is funded by the County Council, Health Trust or Primary Care Trust will be told that they may contact the relevant organisation if they are not satisfied with the response received from the Association.
Where a property is managed by the Association on behalf of another Housing Association the arrangements for making complaints under the management agreement will be made clear to residents / service users.
Residents of leasehold schemes for the elderly will be provided with the details of AIMS, the Advice, Information and Mediation Service run by Age Concern.
Leaseholders may apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (LVT) if they believe service charges are not reasonable, or if statutory consultation procedures have not been correctly followed. Decisions of the LVT are binding.
Monitoring
Response times will be monitored through a central logging system and reported to the Senior Management Team, and to Service Committees.
Complaint volumes and outcomes, including changes made to policy or procedures will be published in the Residents newsletter and the Annual Report to Tenants.