Complaints

Lambeth Self Help Housing Association Complaints Policy

Effective Date: December 2024
Reviewed Date: April 2025

Introduction

At Lambeth Self Help Housing Association (LSH), we are committed to delivering high-quality housing services and to responding quickly and fairly when things go wrong. We believe that the effective handling of complaints is essential for improving the services we provide and for maintaining the trust and confidence of our members.

This Complaints Policy outlines our process for managing complaints in line with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code 2024. We are dedicated to resolving complaints promptly and transparently, and we aim to learn from complaints to enhance our services.

1. Our Commitment

We are committed to:

  • Resolving complaints at the earliest possible opportunity and at the most appropriate level.
  • Ensuring that the complaints process is clear, transparent, and easy to access for all members.
  • Acknowledging and investigating all complaints fairly and impartially.
  • Learning from complaints and making necessary improvements to our services.

2. Who Can Complain?

LSH welcomes complaints from its members and encourages anyone using or directly affected by its services to make complaints. A member does not have to use the word ‘complaint’ for it to be treated as a complaint.

LSH also accepts complaints from agencies and other organisations/advocates representing complainants (although this will require written evidence that anyone representing a complainant is authorised by the complainant to act on their behalf).  A representative can be a friend, family member, another member of LSH, or any other person appointed by the complainant. Representatives can attend meetings with the complainant if the complainant wishes them to.

A complainant can be anyone who is affected by a decision or action taken by LSH, including:

  • Any member of LSH
  • LSH employees
  • Applicants for housing within LSH (whether successful or unsuccessful)
  • Partnership organisations and agencies
  • Contractors or consultants
  • Neighbours to LSH properties
  • Other members of the public

3. What is a Complaint?

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by LSH, or by others acting on its behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents. (Throughout this policy residents may be also referred to as tenants or as members of LSH).

A complaint, whether justified or not, may be about something that LSH should or should not have done or has done badly or has done or not done in accordance with its policies. A complaint may also be about a complainant feeling that they have not been treated fairly or they have been discriminated against in the provision of a service.

LSH will accept and act on complaints unless there is a valid reason not to do so.

The following would not usually be considered through LSH’s complaints procedure unless there are valid reasons to consider them:

  • Requests for a particular service (e.g. a complaint about a repair that has not yet been requested)
  • Requests to deal with anti-social behaviour, harassment, neighbour nuisance or neighbour disputes, which should be dealt with in accordance with the relevant policies and procedures. If a complainant has asked LSH to address an Anti-Social Behaviour issue, neighbour nuisance or a neighbour dispute and is not happy with the way that LSH has managed it, they may then make a complaint under the Complaints Policy.
  • New issues that arise during a complaint’s investigation, unless they are relevant to the complaint under investigation.
  • Anonymous complaints.  LSH assures the sensitive handling of all complaints but it may not be possible to fully address effectively issues arising in an anonymous complaint as it may not be possible to explore fully.
  • Matters that relate to legal proceedings that have started.
  • Complaints about something more than twelve months old.
  • Matters that have already been considered under the Complaints Policy.
  • Issues relating to how LSH is governed, which need to be addressed through LSH’s Code of Conduct.

If LSH declines to accept a complaint for one of the above reasons, it will formally write to the complainant, explaining its reasons for this decision.

4. How to Make a Complaint

If you are unhappy with our services or actions, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible. You can make a complaint through any of the following channels:

  • By phone: 07714 788804
  • By email: admin@lambethselfhelp.co.uk
  • In person/online: at the monthly Management Committee meetings (link/address circulated each month to all members)
  • By post:

Lambeth Self Help Housing Association
Room 8,
The Albany,
Douglas Way,
Deptford,
London SE8 4AG.

We aim to resolve most complaints quickly, but we will provide a clear explanation of the process and timelines for your specific case.

LSH will comply with the Equality Act 2010 and adapt normal policies, procedures, or processes to accommodate an individual member’s needs.

Confidentiality will be maintained in the handling of complaints.

Every appropriate effort will be made to resolve complaints straight away and without a formal process. Emphasis will be placed on identifying what has gone wrong, seeking a solution, and improving services and procedures so that members are satisfied.

5. Resolving Complaints Informally

Complainants can have their complaint resolved informally without the need to use the complaints procedure. Wherever possible, it is encouraged that problems are resolved quickly and amicably to avoid escalation. This can include open and honest conversation and understanding each party’s point of view.

Resolving a complaint informally means

  • Logging the complaint
  • Agreeing how the problem will be resolved
  • Ensuring that the action agreed is carried out.

It should be the decision of the complainant whether their complaint is dealt with informally and they always have the right to make a formal complaint that is dealt with in accordance with the complaint procedure.

6. Complaints Officers

LSH has a delegated Complaints Subcommittee, elected by the Management Committee (MC) to investigate and seek resolution to complaints received.  If at any time, for any reason, there is no designated Complaints Subcommittee in operation, the duty of Complaints Officer will be held by the Secretary of LSH. 

The Complaints Subcommittee take responsibility for managing complaints that have been submitted by any means and are committed to:

  • Handling complaints competently, empathetically and efficiently.
  • Resolving complaints at the earliest possible opportunity and at the most appropriate level.
  • Ensuring that the complaints process is clear, transparent, and easy to access for all members.
  • Acknowledging and investigating all complaints fairly and impartially.
  • Learning from complaints and making necessary improvements to our services, via regular updates and recommendations to the MC.

The Complaints Subcommittee has the authority to make decisions to resolve complaints, although it may often be the case that complaints are complex (e.g. if an aspect of complaint was not covered by LSH policies) in which case the Complaints Subcommittee may refer to the MC for consideration. The Complaints Subcommittee will make recommendations to the MC for all Stage 2 investigations.

7. Complaints Procedure

We have a two-stage complaints process to ensure that all complaints are fully investigated and resolved in a fair and timely manner. The two stages are:

Stage 1: Frontline Resolution (Initial Investigation)

  • We aim to resolve complaints at the earliest opportunity.
  • We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and aim to resolve it within 10 working days.
  • We will investigate the issue and aim to provide a resolution as quickly as possible.
  • If your complaint cannot be resolved within 10 working days, we will inform you of the delay and provide a revised timescale for resolution.

Stage 2: Formal Investigation (Final Stage)

  • If you are not satisfied with the outcome of Stage 1, you may request a formal investigation (stage 2).
  • The Complaints Subcommittee will investigate your complaint thoroughly.
  • We will acknowledge the escalation to Stage 2 within 5 working days and aim to resolve the complaint within 20 working days.
  • At this stage, we will provide a final decision, outlining the reasons for our findings and any actions we will take as a result.

As LSH is a member-led organisation there is the potential for conflict of interest from the complainants or any member investigating the complaint.  Conflicts of interest must be declared and made known before investigation begins, so that the investigation can be impartial and other members recruited to investigate if required.

If you have made a complaint and you are unhappy with the outcome of investigation or the decision made, you can request that the MC reviews the decision and you would have an opportunity to present your view. This review will be conducted by someone independent of the complaint investigation so far. The review may consist of members of the LSH MC, or other LSH members or an independent expert in the case of conflict of interest. Following review, a draft summary report will be created to capture the conclusion. Once the report is finalised and agreed by the MC, this will be communicated to the complainant.

8. Timescales for Resolution

We strive to resolve all complaints as quickly as possible. However, the following timescales apply:

  • Stage 1 (Frontline Resolution): We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and aim to resolve it within 10 working days.
  • Stage 2 (Formal Investigation): If escalated, we will acknowledge the complaint within 5 working days and aim to resolve it within 20 working days.
  • If the complaint cannot be resolved within these timeframes, we will inform you of the delay and provide an estimated timescale for resolution.

9. Investigation and Decision

  • We will investigate your complaint thoroughly, ensuring that all aspects of the issue are considered.
  • We will communicate with you throughout the process, providing updates and asking for further information if necessary.
  • You will always have a fair opportunity to give your views and set out your comments on any findings before a final decision is made.
  • We will use, where possible, plain English in our communications with you, and provide clear reasons for any decisions, referencing the relevant policy, law and good practice where appropriate
  • Once we have investigated the issue, we will provide you with our final decision in writing, including details of any action we will take to resolve the issue or to prevent it from reoccurring.
  • We will always inform you about how you can get in touch with the Housing Ombudsman (see Section 11) if you are not satisfied with the investigation and decision.

10. Remedies and Outcomes

If your complaint is upheld, we will offer a remedy that is fair and proportionate to the nature of the complaint. Possible remedies include:

  • An apology or explanation.
  • Compensation for inconvenience, distress, or financial loss.
  • Action to rectify the issue, such as repair work, policy changes, or staff retraining.
  • Any other appropriate remedy, depending on the circumstances of the complaint.

Whilst LSH will seek to put right any problems and learn from mistakes, we will not seek to blame LSH’s members, staff, or service provider to the complainant.

11. Right to Approach the Housing Ombudsman

If you are not satisfied with our final response to your complaint or if we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman.

Housing Ombudsman Contact Details:

Members can access the Housing Ombudsman Service when they wish to and not just when they have exhausted LSH’s complaints process. The Housing Ombudsman Service can assist members throughout the life of a complaint.

LSH will not prevent you from contacting the Housing Ombudsman.

12. Learning from Complaints

We believe in learning from complaints and use the feedback from complaints to improve our services. We actively encourage feedback from you, and monitor trends or themes in complaints to identify areas for service improvement.  We will:

  • Regularly review the complaints process to ensure it is effective.
  • Use complaints data to identify systemic issues and take appropriate action to address them.
  • Train staff and members of the Complaints Subcommittee on complaint handling and on ways to improve customer service.

The Complaints Subcommittee will regularly take updates and learning from complaints to the MC, via a standing agenda item in the closed part of the monthly MC meetings.

13. Confidentiality and Data Protection

All complaints will be treated in confidence, and we will handle your personal data in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and our Privacy Policy.

We will not share your complaint or any personal details without your consent, except where required by law.

14. Monitoring and Reporting

We are committed to transparency and accountability in how we handle complaints. To demonstrate this:

  • We will publish an annual report on complaints, outlining the number of complaints received, the outcomes, and how we have used complaints data to improve our services.
  • We will conduct regular self-assessments to ensure our complaints process complies with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code 2024.

15. Staff Training and Empowerment

We support staff and members of the Complaints Subcommittee to access regular training on the principles of effective complaint handling, including how to communicate clearly and empathetically with residents, and how to resolve complaints fairly and efficiently.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions about our complaints procedure, or if you would like assistance or adaptations in order to make a complaint, please contact us using the details below:

Complaints Subcommittee Contact Details:

  • Phone: 07896 515027 (Sue Maughan, LSH Secretary)
  • Email: admin@lambethselfhelp.co.uk

Conclusion

LSH takes complaints seriously and aim to address any concerns you may have in a timely and fair manner. By working together, we can improve our services and ensure that we meet the needs and expectations of all members of LSH.

This Complaints Policy is intended to ensure that complaints are handled in a way that is fair, transparent, and compliant with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code 2024.