Complaints procedure
Purpose
The aim of this document is to provide a clear explanation of how to access and use our Complaints Procedure and what will happen at each stage of the process.
The Complaints Procedure
Complaint Acknowledgement — within 5 working days
We will contact complainant either to discuss and resolve dissatisfaction or confirm via a letter that complaint has been logged at Stage 1 of our Complaints Procedure.
Stage 1 — within 10 days
We aim to investigate and respond in writing within 10 working days of the complaint being acknowledged
Within 20 days
Complainant given time to accept Stage 1 decision or request that complaint is escalated to Stage 2
Within 5 days
Escalation request acknowledged within 5 working days. A Senior Manager will review the Stage 1 handling and response and will make reasonable efforts to understand why the resident remains dissatisfied. Residents do not have to provide reasons for requesting escalation.
Stage 2 — within 20 days
We aim to investigate and respond in writing within 20 working days of acknowledging.
If you are dissatisfied with our stage 2 response, you are entitled to refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service.
At any point during the complaints process, the complainant can contact the Housing Ombudsman. Contact details for Housing Ombudsman is listed in section 8.
1. How to access the Complaints Procedure
1.1 Complaints or expressions of dissatisfaction can be made in different ways:
- By phone, calling 01296 732600
- Via the website www.fairhive.co.uk
- By e-mailing complaintsgeneral@fairhive.co.uk
- By writing to us at the main office address:
Complaints Team
Fairhive Homes Limited
Fairfax House
69 Buckingham Street
Aylesbury
Page 3 of 6
Bucks
HP20 2NJ
- Through social media
- Completing and returning a complaints form on our website, via post upon request or you can arrange to collect one from our main office reception.
1.2. When you first contact us, we will try to resolve your concern as early as possible. This early resolution activity is not an additional stage of the complaints process. If your contact is a request for service (for example reporting a repair), we will record and progress it. If you express dissatisfaction and want to make a complaint, we will log it as a Stage 1 complaint in line with this Procedure.
1.3. You do not need to use the word ‘complaint’ for it to be treated as such. If your concerns fall within the definition of a complaint, employee will identify it as such and speak to you about entering the formal process.
1.4. If your complaint relates to an ongoing request for service (for example, a repair), we will continue to progress the service request while we investigate and respond to your complaint.
2. Complaint Definitions and Exclusions
2.1. This procedure should be read alongside our Complaints, Compliments & Compensation Policy, which sets out:
- What we consider to be a complaint.
- What we consider to be a request for service.
- Matters that are excluded from the complaints process.
- Who can make a complaint.
- Residents' rights throughout the complaints process.
- Information about the Housing Ombudsman Service.
2.2. If you are unsure whether your concern is a complaint or a request for service, we will assess the matter in line with the Policy and explain how it will be handled. Where dissatisfaction is expressed about our actions, lack of action, or the standard of service provided, we will consider whether the matter should be recorded as a complaint.
2.3. If we decide that a matter is not suitable for the complaints process, we will explain our reasons in writing, identify any alternative route available to you, and advise you of your right to refer that decision to the Housing Ombudsman Service.
3. Complaint Acknowledgement – within 5 days
3.1. Your complaint will be logged and assigned to the Complaints Officer or relevant Service Manager and they will contact you either via phone or email within 5 working days to acknowledge receipt of your complaint.
3.2. We will confirm our understanding of your complaint (the “complaint definition”), the outcome you are seeking, and clarify any parts we are not responsible for where relevant. If any part is unclear, we will ask you for clarification.
3.3. They will also check with you what your preferred method of contact is and explain what the next steps are.
3.4. We will send you an acknowledgement letter or email which will outline your complaint and the outcome you are expecting.
4. STAGE ONE (1) – We aim to complete this stage within 10 working days of acknowledging your complaint with us
4.1. The Service Manager will carry out a full investigation, and follow up with you as necessary, including home visits or other suitable methods of engagement where appropriate, to assess the problem.
4.2. If the complaint is about a member of staff, the manager will speak to them to find out their side and allow them to comment on the finding before a final decision is made.
4.3. The Service Manager will aim to respond to you within 10 working days. If, for any reason, this timescale is unlikely to be achieved they will contact you and explain the reasons for the delay and agree an anticipated date of response. This extension should be no more than an additional 10 working days. If we cannot respond within the extended timeframe, we will agree with you suitable intervals for keeping you
updated until we issue our response.
4.4. Following the conclusion of the investigation, the Service Manager will contact you to discuss the findings and outcomes.
4.5. We will send you a letter confirming the complaint stage, decision and reasons for the decision, our remedy to put things right and any further actions to be taken.
4.6. We will provide our written response when the answer to your complaint is known, not when all outstanding actions are completed. Any outstanding actions will be tracked to completion and we will provide appropriate updates to you.
4.7. Should you remain dissatisfied following the conclusion of our investigation, you have 20 working days to request that your complaint is escalated to Stage Two (2) of our complaints process and what you are expecting as an outcome.
4.8. If you raise additional issues during a Stage 1 investigation and they are related to the existing complaint, we will include them in the Stage 1 response where the response has not yet been issued.
4.9. If the new issues are unrelated, or including them would unreasonably delay the response, or the Stage 1 response has already been issued, we will log the new issues as a separate complaint.
5. STAGE TWO (2) – We aim to complete this stage within 20 working days of acknowledgement
5.1. Escalation request acknowledged within 5 working days. A Senior Manager will review the Stage 1 handling and response and will make reasonable efforts to understand why the resident remains dissatisfied. Residents do not have to provide reasons for requesting escalation.
5.2. Again if, for any reason, this timescale is unlikely to be achieved we will contact you explaining the reasons for the delay and advise you of an anticipated date of response which should be no more than an additional 20 working days. If we cannot respond within the extended timeframe, we will agree with you suitable intervals for keeping you updated until we issue our response.
5.3. We will provide our written response when the answer to your complaint is known, not when all outstanding actions are completed. Any outstanding actions will be tracked to completion and we will provide appropriate updates to you.
5.4. Should you remain dissatisfied following our stage 2 final response, you are entitled to refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service. (see section 8)
6. Unreasonable or persistent complainants
6.1. In a very small number of cases the actions or behaviour of a complainant may be considered unacceptable. Additional information can be found within the Unreasonable or Persistent Complainants Guidance available on the Fairhive intranet and website.
7. Customer satisfaction
7.1. We are committed to engaging with all of our customers including complainants who can often provide useful insight into how we are delivering our services. Therefore we will submit your contact details to our 3rd party provider who captures customer feedback. As part of this process you may be contacted and asked to give your views about our approach to managing your complaint. Your feedback may be used for training or auditing purposes in the future.
If you do not wish to be contacted by our survey provider please let us know.
8. Appeal to the Housing Ombudsman
8.1. At any point during the complaints process, you can refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman. They cannot investigate your complaint whilst your complaint is going through our internal complaints procedure however the Ombudsman may be able to help you and Fairhive Homes reach a resolution. A link to their website and their contact number is listed below:
Housing Ombudsman Service
PO Box 1484
Unit D
Preston
PR2 0ET
Telephone: 0330 111 3000
Email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
Web: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
9. Improvement Opportunities
9.1. Improvement opportunities are identified by reviewing complaints on a regular basis to ensure lessons learnt are captured, where applicable changes made to processes and effectiveness of improvements monitored.
10. Monitoring and Review
10.1. As part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement our Governance team will be responsible for reviewing this procedure and updating as required every 12 months. In addition, the process will be formally reviewed every three years in order to reflect good practice/or changes in legislation.
11. Compensation
11.1. There may be occasions where you are entitled to compensation after the investigation of your complaint. Please see the Compensation Procedure for details of eligibility, payment bands and calculation methods.
| Author | Faziela Dharsey |
|---|---|
| Job title | Governance Team |
| Date approved | July 2026 |
| Review due date | July 2029 |
