A Guide to our Complaints process and policy

• How to complain
• The Housing Ombudsman Service
• How we deal with complaints
• What to do if you’re not satisfied

Service Requests

How to Complain

What is a complaint

The Housing Ombudsman defines a complaint as an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the organisation, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents.

If you are letting us know about a service you have or have not received, and it requires further investigation, we will deal with this as a complaint.

A complaint can relate to, but is not limited to:

• Failure to follow the agreed policy or procedure.
• The behaviour of a member of staff, board member or contractor.
• Harassment, bias or unfair discrimination.
• Unsatisfactory resolution of a claim for compensation (see separate Remedies Policy for more details).
• Services provided, or not provided, are not within an acceptable timescale or are not of an acceptable standard.
• Failure to consider relevant matters when reaching a decision, apart from decisions made under Homeless legislation.

What isn’t a complaint

The following are not considered complaints and are not covered by the policy:

• Cases regarding services not provided by or on behalf of Colchester Borough Homes.
• Cases where appropriate timescales or policy guidance have not elapsed.
• Insurance claims. These must be submitted in writing to Colchester City Council at insurance@colchester.gov.uk.
• Matters where legal proceedings have been commenced or indicated and dealing with the complaint could interfere with the legal aspects of the case. Please note that issues included in the original complaint which are separate to any legal proceedings can be dealt with under this policy.
• Cases where there is a legal right to a review of the decision made such as homeless decisions and accommodation offers made under homeless duties.
• Banding awards made under the Gateway to Homechoice Allocations Policy where there is a right to a review.
• Cases regarding services not provided by Colchester Borough Homes.

How we handle complaints

There are two stages to the formal complaints procedure

Stage 1 – Investigation by team leader/service area manager
We aim to acknowledge complaints within 5 working days of receipt with details of the complaint, what will be investigated and by whom. We will also ask for any more information that may be required. Stage 1 complaints will be investigated by an officer or manager that deals with the service the complaint is about. We aim to provide a full response within 10 working days of acknowledgement of your complaint. If further time is required to investigate, we will let you know and will aim to provide a full response within 20 working days from the day of acknowledgement.

Stage 2 – Review by senior manager
If you feel that your complaint has not been resolved at Stage 1 you are able to appeal the outcome.
Stage 2 complaints will be investigated by a senior manager. We aim to provide a full response within 20 working days and will let you know the outcome of your complaint. If further time is required to investigate, we will let you know and will aim to provide a full response within 40 working days from the day of acknowledgement.

Compensation and Remedies
At Colchester Borough Homes (CBH) we are committed to providing a high-quality service to our customers at all times. We recognise however, that there are times when services do not meet those high standards and customers are inconvenienced as a result. Please view our Remedies Policy and if you feel you have a claim for compensation, please complete the Compensation Claim Form.

Complaints Process – Easy Read Leaflet Click Here

What to do next if you are still not satisfied