The Housing Ombudsman has published its first report on landlord compliance with the Complaint Handling Code, highlighting recurring weaknesses in complaint policies.
The report draws on the first two years of annual submissions under the Code, setting out lessons for landlords ahead of future reporting cycles.
It charts the shift in complaint handling from what it describes as a “postcode lottery” before the Code’s introduction to today’s more formalised timescales, while noting that a lack of resources and systems continues to hold back some landlords’ progress towards ethical complaint handling.
The Ombudsman said it had seen positive examples of landlords engaging with residents as part of the process.
Alongside the submissions data, the report draws on learning from the Ombudsman’s complaint policy reviews. These identified common weaknesses in landlords’ policies, particularly around:
- Clearly defining the complaint at the acknowledgement stage
- Setting out when a complaint may be extended, and by how long
- Offering escalation, or recognising ongoing dissatisfaction with a service request as a complaint
- The application of exclusions, including how residents’ behaviour is managed
Richard Blakeway, housing ombudsman, said: “The introduction of the Complaint Handling Code was a landmark change for social housing residents, giving them stronger rights and clearer routes to resolve complaints.
“This report shares several lessons. It asks landlords to reflect on the appropriate complaints model for their organisation. The Code is largely principle-based, and several models would be compatible with it. But it is reasonable to conclude that a fully decentralised complaints model poses risks for landlords and a barrier to actioning learning.
“Given complaints remain high and escalate to later stages, focus is needed on making the most of stage 2. The Code allows for double the time to handle, but too often the review is inadequate.
“Upskilling those handling stage 2 complaints, using the right information to make fair, non-defensive decisions and ensuring commitments are completed are important steps to make this part of the process more robust. Other areas for landlords to consider are exclusions, to make sure these are fair and proportionate.
“There is room for improvement but, overall, complaint handling across social housing has transformed since the introduction of the Code. This reflects a commitment shown by most landlords to embedding a positive complaints culture.”
Image credit: meeboonstudio/Shutterstock
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