SHAL Housing aims to provide high quality services. However, there will be times when we make mistakes and we can’t always get things right. When that happens we want our customers to feel comfortable in letting us know. If you are unhappy about SHAL’s services you can make a complaint by following this process:
Stage One – Contact any member of staff
This can be done in person, in writing, by telephone, by email, by completing our complaint form below, or in any other way that suits your needs. If the staff member can’t resolve your complaint themselves, they will pass it to someone who can. You should normally get a full response within 3 weeks.
Stage Two – Director
If you are unhappy with the response you receive you can ask for the complaint to be considered by one of our Directors. You need to do so within a month of receiving the Stage One decision. The Director may wish to speak to you as part of their investigation and will normally give you a full response within 3 weeks.
Stage Three – Appeal Panel
If you are still unhappy you can ask for the complaint to be considered by an Appeal Panel that will consist of two Board Members and our Chief Executive. You should ask for your complaint to go to the Appeal Panel within a month of receiving the Stage Two decision. The Panel will aim to meet you within 4 weeks of you telling them about the complaint.
The Regulator for Social Housing
The Regulator for Social Housing publishes Standards they expect providers like SHAL to meet. The Economic Standards are about how we work and perform as an organisation and the Consumer Standards are about the services we provide to our tenants and customers.
You can find out more here but if you think SHAL is not meeting the Consumer Standards you can make a complaint.
Housing Ombudsman Service
If you remain unhappy after receiving the Appeal Panel’s decision you can take your complaint to the independent Housing Ombudsman Service. We will send you more details of how to do this at the time but if you wish to contact the Ombudsman’s office for advice you can:
• call them on: 0300 111 3000
• email them at info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk or
• write to Housing Ombudsman Service, 81 Aldwych, London WC2B 4HN
General Information
SHAL will happily deal with another person if they are helping you to make your complaint but we will normally ask for evidence that they have your permission to do so.
Although we know you might be upset about the issue you are complaining about we still expect you to pursue your complaint in a reasonable manner. We may refuse to deal with a complaint, or may deal with it in a different way, if it is pursued unreasonably or if the circumstances merit it.