Complaints, comments & compliments

Making a complaint, comment or compliment

We always try to give the best service, but we know that we don't always get things right. 

We want to sort problems as soon as possible, so if you think you've not been given the kind of service you expect, let us know. If you've already tried to raise the issue with the person you're dealing with, then you have a right to raise a complaint. You can begin raising a complaint by completing our contact us online form.

We handle all our complaints in accordance with the Housing Ombudsman, you can read more about this at the bottom of the page. 

On the other hand if you've received great service and you want to let us know about something we've done well or something you have an idea about please contact us using our online form.

How will you deal with my complaint?

You can find full details of our procedure in our Complaints Handling Process.

We will acknowledge all complaints within five working days in a method of communication that has been agreed with you.

We have a two stage complaints procedure to manage matters where we are unable to agree a resolution with you at the first point of contact.

• Stage 1:

  The matter will be coordinated by the service manager of the area of which that complaint falls into.

  Our ambition is to resolve all formal complaints at this stage within 10 working days because we want to put things right without undue delay. We will communicate with you through your agreed method and if required, may arrange to meet with you in person to resolve efficiently.

  If we are unable to resolve your complaint within this time we will:

  • Aim to keep you informed of the details and progress of your complaint
  • Explain the reasons of why we are unable resolve your complaint
  • We will agree a suitable extension of the timescale with you, which would not normally be more than a further 10 working days.

  Upon completion of the investigation into the points raised we will confirm our response to you which will include all actions taken to resolve the complaint. If there are any subsequent actions to be taken we will give you clear timescales of when these will be completed and close your complaint at this point.

  What if I’m unhappy with your response?

  If you do not agree with the decision please contact us within ten working days of receiving your stage 1 closure letter to ask for your complaint to be considered at stage 2.

• Stage 2:

  This stage is coordinated by our Feedback Manager. A full investigation will be undertaken and a complete review of the previous response and subsequent actions of stage 1. We will agree method and frequency of contact with you, so that we keep you updated in a way that is easy for you.

  We aim to respond within 20 working days, but again, where there is added complexity, we will agree a suitable extension of the timescale with you directly. Any extension would not normally be more than a further 10 working days.

  In order to provide a quality check of the complaint and the proposed solution, the matter will be reviewed at a regular case conference, which is a group of managers and senior managers who look at all complaints to ensure they have been fairly and consistently handled.

  You will be given the opportunity to comment on any adverse findings before we determine our final response. We will then confirm our response to you.

  This is the final stage of our internal complaints process.

• If you remain unhappy with our response:

  If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of your stage 2 complaint you can choose to contact the Housing Ombudsman Service.

  The Housing Ombudsman Service is set up by law to look at complaints about housing organisations that are registered with them. This service is free, independent, and impartial.

  The Housing Ombudsman Service can be contacted as follows:

  Online: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk

  Telephone: 0300 111 3000

  E-Mail: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk

Housing Ombudsman complaints handling code – Our self-assessment

The Alliance Homes complaint process is aligned to the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code which has key areas to help benchmark aspects of complaints. The code helps to set out good practice and allow landlords to respond to complaints effectively and fairly.

Landlords were asked to self-assess their complaints procedure and publish the results to show they meet the criteria of the code.

We’ve completed our self-assessment, which you can see here.

You can read more on the Housing Ombudsman complaints handing code here.

We have used our findings of our self-assessment to make changes to our policy and processes which will focus on making things easy and resolving your complaints quickly.

We will provide regular updates on the website about complaints including quarterly information on how we’re performing and how we’re using your feedback to improve services.