Making a Complaint

Shepherds Bush Housing Association (SBHA) aim to provide high standards of service to all tenants. We realise that sometimes things do go wrong and while we will take every step to sort out problems, it is your right as a tenant to complain if the service falls short of your expectations. This leaflet tells you the complaint making procedures.

Stage 1
When you first complain to us, whether by letter, telephone or in person, we will investigate and try to resolve the matter informally with you.

Stage 2
If you are not satisfied with our response and want to take your complaint further, the matter is treated as a second stage complaint.

Complaints can be made using the complaint forms available at either of the Association's offices but formal complaints can also be made by telephone, email or by sending in your own letter. For both Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints we will acknowledge your complaint by letter immediately and aim to carry out a review and reply to you within 10 working days of receiving the complaint from you.

Generally, before a Stage 2 complaint can be made, SBHA must have had the chance to resolve the matter informally at Stage 1.

The Stage 2 complaint will be investigated at Senior Management Team level, by someone who will not previously have been involved in the matter, and so will be able to assess the complaint fairly.

Stage 3
If you are not satisfied with the decision of the Senior Management Team at Stage 2 level, you have a right of appeal to SBHA's Committee of Management. An Appeals Panel, made up of Committee members (including tenant representatives) will be set up to hear your appeal, which can be made in person if you wish.

The Association will write to you within 10 days of the appeal to let you know their decision.

Stage 4 - Housing Association Ombudsman
If at this stage you are not happy with the decision of the Appeals Panel, you have the right to take your case to the Housing Association Ombudsman, who is independent of SBHA. The Ombudsman will only deal with your case if you have been through the SBHA complaints procedure and are not satisfied with the outcome.

You can either complain to the Ombudsman yourself, or ask a friend, member of your family or adviser to do it for you, but your case will not be dealt with if you make it anonymously. If the Ombudsman service decides to accept your case, they will carry out a full confidential investigation and will ask SBHA to give him any information which will help him make a decision.

At the end of the investigation, the Ombudsman service will write both to you and to SBHA explaining what the decision is, the reason for it and what they recommend to resolve the problem.

The Housing Association Ombudsman can be contacted by telephone on 020 7421 3800, by email at info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk or by writing to: Housing Ombudsman Service,
81 Aldwych, London, WC2B 4HN.