Customer compliments and complaints
We will always try and give you the very best customer service. We know sometimes things go well and sometimes we make mistakes. Your feedback helps us to improve our services.
We can often resolve any problems you might have by you simply getting in touch with Connect Housing and explaining the problem. This is usually the quickest way to get issues sorted. If you are still not happy with the way your enquiry has been dealt with, you can raise a formal complaint via Connect Housing.
If you make a complaint, Connect Housing will send you a letter of acknowledgement within 5 working days, and the aim will be to resolve complaints within 10 working days. We have adopted Connect Housing’s compliments and complaints policy which goes into further detail about how we will deal with your complaint and what you can expect from us and from Connect Housing who are managing complaints on our behalf .
What is a complaint?
An expression of dissatisfaction, made in any way, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by Connect Housing, a member of our staff, or those acting on our behalf, which affects an individual resident or group of residents.
How to make a complaint
To make a formal complaint please write or email Connect Housing at complaints@connecthousing.org.uk, or call them on 0300 5000 600.
Connect Housing provide forms which you can complete online at https://www.connecthousing.org.uk/contact/compliments-complaints/
- Please provide plenty of detail on:
- What your complaint is about.
- What you feel Connect Housing and/or CVCLT has done wrong.
- What you would like Connect Housing and/or CVCLT to do.
The Housing Ombudsman Scheme
The Housing Ombudsman Service is set up by law to look at complaints about the housing organisations that are registered with them. Their service is free, independent and impartial.
They resolve disputes involving the tenants and leaseholders of social landlords (housing associations and local authorities) and voluntary members. Residents and landlords can contact the Ombudsman at any time for support in helping to resolve a dispute. The service is funded through annual landlord subscription fees.
The Housing Ombudsman publishes a Complaint Handling Code, setting out good practice on resolving complaints. As members, we are required to assess how compliant we are with the code. You can view the Complaint Handing Code on the Housing Ombudsman’s website, and you can view our latest self-assessment here.
The Housing Ombudsman has published their Annual Complaints Review for 2023-24. The full report can be found on their website.
Annual Complaints Review and Service Improvement Report
The new statutory Housing Ombudsman (HOS) Code requires landlords to publish an Annual Complaint Performance and Service Improvement Report on their website. Our report for 2023-2024 is available to read now.
Our governing body responded to the Annual Complaints Performance & Service Improvement Report, saying:
“Both Calder Valley Community Land Trust and Connect Housing value feedback from our tenants. Both organisations are building a positive complaints culture which enables us to both support our tenants and improve our services.
Connect Housing’s Annual Review of Complaints report confirms their compliance with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code and identifies areas of focus. They are committed to monitoring and addressing feedback and continuous improvement of their practices. This gives CVCLT confidence that Connect Housing are delivering a very good service to our tenants, and will manage any complaints to the best of their ability.”
Customer compliments and complaints
Our process for dealing with complaints
You will have made your complaint to Connect Housing, and their response comprises two stages.
Stage 1
At Stage 1, Connect Housing will acknowledge your complaint in five working days.
Your complaint will be assigned to a service manager or head of service who will investigate your complaint. They will contact you to discuss your complaint in more detail. They will respond in full to your complaint within 10 working days.
Connect Housing may need to extend this timescale depending on the complexity of the complaint. If they do, they will inform you of this. Any extension will not be more than 10 working days, unless in exceptional circumstances which will be agreed with you.
If you think the response does not fully resolve your complaint, please tell Connect Housing what the remaining problem is. At this point, you can request that your complaint is moved to Stage 2.
If all or part of the complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction at Stage 1, it must be progressed to Stage 2. Stage 2 is Connect Housing’s final response.
Stage 2
At Stage 2, Connect Housing will escalate and acknowledge your complaint in five working days. Your complaint will be assigned to a director to investigate. They will contact you to discuss your complaint in more detail.
A final response to the Stage 2 will be issued within 20 working days of the complaint being acknowledged.
Where Connect Housing are unable to provide a full response within 20 working days, they may need to extend this timescale depending on the complexity of the complaint and will inform you of this. Any extension will not be more than 20 working days, unless in exceptional circumstances which will be agreed with you.
If you think that their Stage 2 response has still not resolved your complaint and you are a tenant, leaseholder or housing applicant of Calder Valley Community Land Trust, you can refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman. This can only be done after you have received the final response to your complaint and have therefore fully exhausted the complaints process.
Referring your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman
Once your complaint has gone through our two-stage complaint process, and you’re a tenant, leaseholder or housing applicant of Calder Valley Community Land Trust you can refer the matter to the Housing Ombudsman if you are still not satisfied.
The Ombudsman provides a free and independent service to tenants and will investigate your complaint. The service is entirely independent of Connect Housing or Calder Valley Community Land Trust. However, the Ombudsman will not consider your complaint until you have completed both stages of the complaints process.
Complaints forms
We encourage you to contact Connect Housing by email at complaints@connecthousing.org.uk, by phone on 0300 5000 600 if you wish to speak to them in person, or by using one of their forms, links to which are shown below
The complaints form is on: https://www.connecthousing.org.uk/contact/complaints-form/
We would also love to hear from you when you think Connect Housing and/or CVCLT has done a good job. Please complete the compliments form on: https://www.connecthousing.org.uk/contact/compliments-form