Our complaints performance and service improvement report for the year 2023-24 covers key themes, learnings and service improvements as well as details of any mentions in Housing Ombudsman Service publications, in compliance with the ombudsman’s complaint handling code.
The report addresses the following areas:
- A self-assessment of our complaint handling under the new complaint handling code
- Our performance on complaints
- Key themes around complaints
- Service improvements made as a result of learnings from complaints
- Information published by the ombudsman about our performance
- Other ombudsman reports or publications in relation to our work
Key findings
- We are substantially compliant with the new complaint handling code.
- We saw a reduction of about 30% in complaints for 2023/24 compared to the previous year, but the types of complaints were more complex than previously. The number of cases with negative determinations from the ombudsman also increased.
- The key themes coming through from complaints are around the speed of response to either resident queries or repairs, the quality of work carried out, and the level of communication throughout the customer journey.
- We are creating a centralised complaints function, which we expect to be in place by summer 2024. We are making good progress with centralisation, which aims to improve efficiency and consistency in how customer complaints are handled across our organisation. We have made several additional service improvements, which are outlined in this report.
- The ombudsman published a landlord performance report of our performance for the year ending 31 March 2023 in May 2023. We were found to have performed “similarly” when compared to similar landlords by size and type.
Key themes around complaints
A substantial proportion of complaints relate to repairs, which accounted for 29.6% of overall complaints against us in 2023/24.
| Top complaint themes | % of overall complaints |
|---|---|
| Repairs | 29.6% |
| Housing management | 25.1% |
| Heating and hot water | 12.7% |
| Service charges | 6.3% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 4.9% |
| Other | 21.4% |
When we analysed both complaints and determinations from the ombudsman, we have identified some recurring themes and systemic issues, shedding crucial insight into areas needing attention:
- Delays in repair completion: a general issue identified is the time taken to finalise repairs, often leaving residents inconvenienced and disheartened by the prolonged wait times.
- Delayed follow-up works: compounding the issue of delayed repairs is the slow progress in subsequent works required following initial appointments, exacerbating the frustration and inconvenience experienced by our residents.
- Communication breakdowns: instances of poor communication with our customers have been a recurring complaint, characterised by lapses in timely updates in rectifying service deficiencies.
- Inconsistent documentation and handovers: a notable observation has been the inconsistency in record-keeping practices and handover procedures among colleagues, resulting in disjointed interactions and an unsatisfactory customer journey.
- Considering individual needs and vulnerabilities: regrettably, there have been instances where our responsiveness failed to adequately accommodate the unique requirements and vulnerabilities of individual residents, underscoring a critical oversight in our approach to service provision and complaint resolution.
In response to these pressing challenges, comprehensive enhancements to our complaints structure are being made in 2024. These strategic enhancements aim not only to rectify existing shortcomings but also to leverage insights from complaints to drive meaningful service improvements. We are fully dedicated to creating a culture of providing a quick, transparent and resident-focused service. Our aim is to improve resident satisfaction and trust in our organisation by being responsive and delivering excellent service consistently.
The new complaints function will allow us to conduct detailed root cause analysis and deep dives, giving us further insights into how we improve customer experiences from the source. We also have a newly established customer journey team, who will take such insights and look at improving the repairs and service charge journeys to mitigate further occurrences of systemic issues.
