Complaints

How to complain
Simply complete the form at the bottom of this page or contact us by your preferred method (email, web message, phone, post etc) telling us:

 

• What the problem is, giving details where possible, such as dates and names
• What you would like to see happen next
• How best to contact you

 

We ask that you tell us about any problems within 12 months of the issue occurring.

 

We will acknowledge all complaints within five working days. Following this, we will consider and respond to all complaints within 10 working days of receiving them. The vast majority of complaints are resolved at this point. In the event that you are not happy with our response, we will refer the issue to our Customer Experience team. They will also acknowledge your complaint within five working days. They will then investigate your complaint and respond within 20 working days of it being referred to them. This will be our final response to the issue.

 

What can you expect from our response?

Our response to your complaint should meet our customer-approved quality standard. This includes:

 

• Structure: the response should be well set-out and easy to read
• Content: content will be relevant and comprehensive
• Clarity: communication will show a good understanding of the problem, with clear explanations of how a decision has been reached. Timescales and responsibility for agreed actions should be clear.
• Accuracy: information provided will be accurate
• Tone: our response should be professional
• Empathy: communications should demonstrate consideration and be sincere
• Accountability: we will acknowledge any failings on our part
• Transparency: information will be honest, accurate and reliable
• Timeliness: the response will be issued in agreed timeframes

 

Still unhappy?

If you have been through our complaints process and are not satisfied, you have the right for your complaint to be considered by the Independent Housing Ombudsman. You can contact the Ombudsman at any time for impartial advice.

 

Housing Ombudsman Service

Housing Ombudsman Service

PO Box 1484
Unit D
Preston
PR2 0ET

Telephone: 0300 111 3000

Email: [email protected]

 

To see a copy of our self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman's complaint handling code, please click here.

 

We follow Ombudsman guidelines to produce an annual review of complaints. You can find this here.

 

Jo Boswell, Chair of Saxon Weald's Customer Experience Committee comments:

"This report is a really comprehensive overview of complaints handling at Saxon Weald. Whilst our performance relative to our peer group is reasonably good, we have more work to do to ensure we meet our challenging targets.  It is clear from customer feedback that we need to improve our communications through the complaints process, as well as ensuring that agreed actions are completed in a timely way. The most important point is our learning approach. We are capturing the core issues and themes at the heart of these complaints, and using these to make service improvements."

 

Help making a complaint

If you are not confident about communicating your complaint, you are entitled to have a friend, family member or other advocate act on your behalf. We will need your permission to share your information with this person. You can find our permissions form on our website or contact us for help.

 

If you have a disability, health condition or other circumstance that means you need additional support to progress your complaint, please get in touch. We can make adjustments such as:

 

• Arranging a sign language interpreter
• Agreeing specific contact times

 

There is also advice on making a complaint on the Housing Ombudsman’s website www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk.