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Complaints

  • How to complain
  • What you can expect Harding to do in response to your complaint
  • How soon you should expect a response
  • Register a complaint on line

Why do we have a complaints procedure?

Harding Housing Association wants to offer tenants the best possible service. But we know that we do not always get it right. When this happens we want to know about it so that we can correct it as soon as possible.

The complaints procedure is an important way for us to find out where we are falling down. If we have made a mistake or if there is a problem with your home which is our fault, we will apologise and try to put things right as soon as possible.

Our tenants' views are important and, if you have a problem, we really do want to hear from you so that we know how we are doing and how we can improve our service.

How it works

What is a complaint?

Unfortunately no landlord can stop things going wrong from time to time - a boiler can break down or a neighbour can make too much noise. You need to tell us when something like that happens as soon as possible and give us a chance to correct the problem. So far the problem is not a complaint, just a request to us to deal with the issue. However, if we fail to respond or respond inefficiently, then we have not delivered a proper service and the problem becomes a complaint.

Who can complain?

Anyone who is entitled to receive a service from us, or a person acting on their behalf.

How to make a complaint

Stage 1 - The informal stage

If you have a problem you should first contact your Housing Officer, your Maintenance Surveyor or your Care Home Manager. They will always try to deal with your complaint there and then. If your complaint cannot be dealt with immediately, we will get back to you within five working days telling you how we intend to solve it and when.

Stage 2 - The formal stage

If you are still not satisfied, you may complain formally. It really helps us if you put your complaint in writing by completing and returning to us the form at the bottom of this page. If you have difficulty completing the form, do ask for help from any member of Harding's staff or

  • call us on 020-8870-7577, say that you wish to make a formal complaint and we will take the details over the phone; or
  • send us a fax headed "FORMAL COMPLAINT" to 020-8874-6270; or
  • email us at complaints@hardinghousing.org.uk

We will record any of these as a formal complaint and they will be referred to the appropriate person. We will send out a letter to you within 2 working days to give you the name of that person, who will always be your point of contact at Harding for this particular complaint, and the reference number we have given your complaint.

This person will try and resolve the complaint within 10 working days.

Stage 3 - Tenants’ complaints panel If you are not happy with what we have done up to this point, you can take the matter to the Tenants' Complaints Panel chaired by a Tenant member of the board. This is a panel of tenants, independent from both Harding and the person complaining, who will judge whether Harding has dealt with the matter properly. If they find we are at fault, they will tell us what to do, and have the power to instruct us to pay compensation if appropriate.

Stage 4 - Independent housing ombudsman

If you are still not satisfied, you can appeal to the Independent Housing Ombudsman. The Ombudsman will expect you to have followed all the stages of our Complaints procedure before hearing your case. Your Housing Officer will be able to provide you with details.

If you are a resident of a Registered Care Home you can also make a complaint to the Local Authority Registration Officer. They can be contacted at your local Town Hall.

Confidentiality

We will treat all complaints and appeals in the strictest confidence. If, during the course of our investigation, we need to reveal your identity we will contact you first before we proceed. However, we cannot deal with anonymous complaints.

Compensation

You may be entitled to compensation if our service falls below certain standards, or when our or our contractors' actions cause you to incur costs.

Special information

If you have special needs such as Braille, large print, audio or translation, then please contact our Office/Personnel Manager who will try to ensure that you receive a copy of this leaflet in a form that meets your needs.

Harding will try to arrange an interpreter for meetings if required. If the complainant requires a British Sign Language interpreter, Harding will provide one.

All Harding Offices and Care Homes are equipped with minicoms. The Minicom numbers are:

Harding Housing Association (Head Office) - 020-8877-1866

Church Manor Estate Office - 020-7735-0637

Harding House (Care Home) - 020-8870-4569

Huguenot Place (Care Home) - 020-8877-1204

Anthony Edwards House (Care Home) - 020-8767-3996

E-mail: complaints@hardinghousing.org.uk

Online Complaints Form

Tips for completing this form
Use the TAB key to move to the next field - pressing ENTER may submit an incomplete form. You can complete the form offline and then reconnect when you submit the form.
 
Your first name
Your surname
Your address and postcode*
Phone (home/mobile)
Phone (work)
Email*
 
Please tell us what you wish to complain about*
 
 
Data Protection Statement: Harding Housing Association is a registered data controller under the Data Protection Act 1998. The Association may use your personal information for managing its housing stock and tenancies. Some of the data you provide may be ‘sensitive’. By clicking the Submit button below, you consent to Harding using this data for the legitimate purposes of a landlord only.
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