Social and council landlords urged to improve complaint handling

The Housing Ombudsman has revealed a worrying rise in the number of social and council landlords failing to follow proper complaint procedures.

The landlords have been warned to introduce an ‘ethical complaint culture’.

This comes as the latest Complaint Handling Failure Order (CHFO) report shows the highest ever rate of non-compliance.

These orders are issued when a landlord fails to address a resident’s complaint despite intervention from the Ombudsman.

The report covers the period before the Complaint Handling Code became mandatory, underlining the urgency of the new regulations.

Complaint handling order is issued as a last resort

Richard Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman, said: “Every complaint handling order is issued as a last resort and behind every non-compliant order is a resident without resolution.

“Therefore, to see a rise in the non-compliance of these orders should be a red flag to landlords as our Duty to Monitor powers are introduced.

“These duties will strengthen local complaint handling and build trust between residents and landlords to achieve earlier resolution.”

He adds: “Landlords must look towards a more ethical approach to complaint handling, where they are not just ticking a box for compliance but are placing residents at the heart of the process and ensuring a human-centric provision.”

10 landlords were brought into compliance

The Ombudsman says that over the past quarter, 10 landlords were brought into compliance with the Code – representing 250,000 residents who should now see improved complaint handling.

The Ombudsman has also called on landlords to go further than simply complying with the Code and move towards ethical complaint handling.

Demonstrating this ethical complaint handling to residents can restore trust where it has previously been fractured.

The landlords that did not comply with its CHFOs this quarter are:

• Hyde Group
• Lewisham Council
• London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
• London Borough of Ealing
• London Borough of Haringey
• London Borough of Newham
• L&Q
• Metropolitan Thames Valley
• Salvation Army Housing Association
• Soho Housing Association
• Sovereign Housing Association
• The Industrial Dwellings Society (1885)
• Tower Hamlets Homes
• Warwick District Council.