Making a complaint
We know that sometimes things go wrong, or the service you receive falls short of your expectations, and we are sorry when this happens. We aim to resolve customer dissatisfaction quickly, wherever possible at the first point of contact, either by our Contact Centre or by the relevant service area.
Contacting us about your concern
Our aim is to support you at your first point of contact. By clicking on the links below, you will find information on the services customers contact us about the most:
- Complaints about a neighbour or Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) – Please contact the ASB team directly by filling out their online form.
- Chasing up a repair – Please view My Account or chat to our Contact Centre to check the status of your repair.
- Finding a home or lettings – Please view the council’s Homes in the City website, where you can view the latest guidance and contact the relevant team.
- A maintenance problem on your estate – Please view our website for more details on managing gardens and trees or chat to our Contact Centre for support.
- Still need to make a complaint?
Making a complaint
If your concern cannot be resolved quickly, we follow a two-stage complaints process. If we have made a mistake, there are several ways we can try to put it right. This includes:
- speaking to you over the phone or in person to ensure we are clear about the concerns
- making an apology
- giving a full explanation
- reviewing a decision that has already been made
- reviewing our procedures
- considering and advising on financial compensation
There are some complaints that we are not able to resolve under our complaints policy, for example:
- if your complaint concerns a service provided by a third-party organisation
- if your complaint is covered by a separate policy
- if your complaint has already been dealt with in another way, such as by the courts or the ombudsman
If we are not able to deal with your complaint, we will support you with your next steps. If your complaint is not upheld for any reason, we will write to you explaining why.
For more information about how we deal with complaints, please read our complaints policy. If you need help making your complaint, please contact us
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Complaints process
Stage 1
If we're not able to sort the problem straight away, we’ll acknowledge your complaint within five working days. We will refer your complaint to the manager responsible for the service you’re unhappy with. Wherever possible, they will contact you to discuss your complaint and will provide a full response to you within ten working days. If their investigation is going to take longer, we’ll let you know when you can expect a full reply.
Stage 2
If you are not happy with our response at Stage 1, you should tell us straight away. This may be because you feel we have not addressed the issue properly or because you have new information that you believe might influence our original decision.
At Stage 2, you will need to tell us why you are not satisfied with our decision at Stage 1. The relevant manager will then review the previous decision and respond to your complaint within 20 working days. If it is going to take longer, they will let you know when you can expect a full reply.
If you are still not satisfied with our response at Stage 2, there are other options available to you. More information is available below.
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Other options
Housing Ombudsman
You can ask the Housing or Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to consider your complaint, dependent on what it is about. We can advise you on how to progress your complaint and which ombudsman service to contact.
Learn more about the Housing Ombudsman
Learn more about the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
