Lambeth Self Help Housing Association
Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report
December 2024-December 2025 (Reporting March 2026)
Introduction
This report highlights the housing association’s complaints performance and improvements from December 2024-2025.
1. Executive Summary
- Complaints Received: Total complaints 8
- Complaints Upheld: 5 complaints upheld and resolved at informal stage, 1 complaint ongoing at informal stage, 2 complaints ongoing at formal stage.
- Resolution Time:
- Complaint A: Formal disrepair complaint ongoing (regarding a repair that had not been reported in a timely way). All repairs completed within 5 months and attempts at resolution with complainant declined. Currently going through compensation negotiation with legal support.
- Complaint B: Complaint regarding overcharging of rent. Resolved informally immediately (within 1 day) with apology to tenant for administrative error, and error rectified.
- Complaint C: Complaint regarding quality of repair of windows. After review, windows were replaced to improve security and tenant happy with outcome. Resolved within 6 weeks (timeframe dictated by contractors’ availability and order of window).
- Complaint D: Formal disrepair complaint ongoing (complaint was submitted after repairs had been scheduled). Repairs completed as scheduled and attempts at resolution with complainant declined. Currently going through compensation negotiation with legal support.
- Complaint E: Complaint from a regular contractor regarding verbal abuse by a tenant whilst carrying out works at their property. Formal letter sent to tenant advising unacceptable and a breach to tenancy agreement. Letter of apology to contractor. Resolved within 1 week.
- Complaint F: Complaint regarding rent increase following period of rent reduction due to personal circumstances. Further information sought from tenant and further discussion at management committee. Resolved within 2 months (delay due to schedule of management committee meetings).
- Complaint G: Complaint regarding staff member failing to notify tenant in advance of planned electrical safety testing visit by contractor. Resolved within a week.
- Complaint H: Following issue of an injunction to gain access to a property to complete necessary safety checks and maintenance, the tenant issued a complaint regarding historical issues. Currently being investigated by Complaints Subcommittee.
- Service Improvements undertaken:
- Improved process of logging and categorisation of all complaints received, including those resolved informally.
- Induction of new staff member in Complaints procedure.
- Regular meetings between Complaints Subcommittee and LSH staff to improve communication and resolution of complaints
- Addition of Complaints as standing item on Management Committee meetings, with monthly reporting back on all complaints
- Improved repairs log used by LSH staff, and kept up to date
- Making sure all repairs requests (received by any means) are acknowledged by email, to maintain a record in writing of all requests
2. Complaints Overview
- Categories:
- Complaint regarding disrepair/timeliness of repair: 2
- Complaint regarding poor quality of repair: 1
- Complaint regarding staff: 1
- Complaint regarding tenant (by contractor): 1
- Complaint regarding rent: 2
- Complaint regarding other: 1 (under investigation)
- Sources:
- 6 complaints received in writing (email)
- 1 by phone
- 1 by post.
3. Complaint Handling Process
- Stage 1: 63% of complaints resolved at Stage 1
- Stage 2: Escalated complaints and outcomes: 2 ongoing, currently in hands of solicitors to negotiate compensation settlement; 1 under investigation by Complaints Subcommittee
- Summary: 7 complaints upheld, 1 under investigation
4. Performance Against Housing Ombudsman’s Code
- Accessibility: Easy complaint submission: members can submit complaint via email, telephone, post or the monthly meeting
- Transparency: Clear communication throughout with all complainants, including via legal representative (for ongoing formal complaints)
- Accountability: Tenant-led organisation, with Management Committee taking responsibility for ensuring complaints are resolved fairly and promptly.
- Service Improvement: Themes and learning points taken from all complaints, with Complaints Sub-Committee feeding back to Management Committee as needed. Actions taken to prevent future complaints.
5. Service Improvements
- Response Times: Improvements made (see above) to improve communication between staff and Complaints Subcommittee, and timely responses.
- Staff Training: Ongoing customer service development of staff and sub-committee, to improve timely communication with complainants, and record keeping.
- Increased Capacity: We have employed an additional staff member (General Manager)
- Policy Changes: Adjustments based on feedback.
6. Key Statistics
| Metric | Value |
| Complaints Received | 8 |
| Complaints Upheld | 7 (87.5%) |
| Avg. Resolution Time (Stage 1) | 13 days |
7. Tenant Satisfaction
- Satisfaction Rate of Resolved Complaints: Percentage of satisfied tenants following resolutions: 100% (NB: two complaint resolution still ongoing via legal route and one under investigation)
- Feedback: LSH staff responsive to tenants and often able to resolve complaints informally immediately. Due to voluntary nature of Management Committee (and Complaints Subcommittee) who meet monthly, decisions about next steps can be delayed. We are working on ways to speed this process up, e.g. Complaints Subcommittee’s regular meeting is the week before the regular Management Committee meeting so that time can be ringfenced for longer discussions and to make/ratify decisions as needed.
8. Future Plans
- Better Communication: We have increased capacity (i.e employing additional staff). We resolve to give more regular updates to tenants/members, especially those awaiting repairs/refurbishment. We resolve to create a bank of template letters so that correspondence can be more equitable and quicker.
- Proactive Resolution: Maintaining our new log of complaints helps us see themes arising. Keeping a log of planned works, requests for repairs helps us plan projects in a timely way. Transparent communication with tenants awaiting planned works helps to minimise complaints around timeliness, eg the SHDF works that several properties are due, were delayed due to a change of contractor – proactive communication with those tenants has helped minimise tenant disruption and disappointment.
- Ongoing Training: Continued staff and management committee development, sharing of complaint themes and learning. Planned online training.
9. Conclusion
LSH are committed to continuous improvement in line with Housing Ombudsman guidelines.
Key plan for the coming year is to improve clear and equitable communication, and the response and resolution time, to ensure complaints are resolved in a timely manner whilst complainants are kept clear about next steps. We will do this via improvements listed above (Section 1. and Section 8.)