WEST HIGHLAND HOUSING ASSOCIATION
CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS POLICY
1. WHY HAVE A COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
1.1 West Highland Housing Association Limited is committed to providing an efficient, responsive and personal service of the highest quality to our tenants and customers.
1.2 Although we always try to provide a first class service, there may be times when you are not happy about something. If this is the case, it is important that you let us know. In considering issues that are raised, the Association will not discriminate against individuals on the grounds of marital status, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, language or social origin, gender, or on the grounds of their religious beliefs, employment status and income.
2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
2.1 The aim of West Highland Housing Association’s complaints policy is to ensure that a clear, effective, confidential and responsive system is in place for managing and monitoring complaints made about the service we provide, and that we act upon these complaints appropriately.
2.2 The Association aims to resolve complaints effectively within set targets and to the complainant’s satisfaction.
2.3 The main objectives of the policy are:
- to ensure that the complaints process is simple, clear and easily accessible to all;
- that confidentiality is respected at all times within the Data Protection Act (1998);
- that all complaints made to the Association are recorded and reported to the Chief Executive, who will regularly advise the Management Committee of changes or improvements the Association may be taking as a result of complaints received.
3. WHO CAN USE THE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
3.1 Anyone who receives or requests a service from West Highland Housing Association Limited can use the Complaints Procedure. This includes tenants, people applying for housing, owners or sharing owners and people living in neighbouring property. The procedure is also open to people who may be acting on your behalf, such as a Councillor, Member of Parliament, advice agency or solicitor. If you belong to a Tenants' Group or Residents' Association and would prefer to ask them to help you with your complaint, we will be happy for them to contact us on your behalf.
4. WHAT CAN YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT?
4.1 You can complain about any aspect of our service that you are unhappy
about, for example:
- If a repair has not been carried out properly;
- If you have not received information you have asked for;
- If you feel that a member of staff, a Committee member or a contractor has not behaved reasonably towards you;
- If you feel your housing application has not been handled properly;
- If you feel you have been unfairly discriminated against.
4.2 Complaints against neighbours will be dealt with under the Association’s Neighbour Disputes Policy but if you have a complaint about the way we have dealt with a neighbour dispute, then you can use the Complaints Procedure.
We will always try to deal with complaints sympathetically, but there are some things we will not be able to give you information about. For example, it would be wrong for us to discuss with you the details of someone else's housing application, as this would be a breach of confidentiality. We can of course talk to you about how our allocations policy and procedures work.
4.3 Areas of dissatisfaction which may not be regarded as a ‘complaint’ are:
- Legislation, unless wrongly applied;
- Persons or bodies over which West Highland Association has no control;
- Matters which are, or could reasonably be expected to be the subject of court or tribunal proceedings, or which are in the hands of our insurers.
4.4 We will apply the general principle that the remedy needs to be appropriate and proportionate to the original issue. The remedies could include the following:
- An apology
- A detailed explanation as to why something happened
- A review of the organisation’s practices, policies or procedures
- A practical action (where the injustice stems from the failure to take a specific action)
- Staff training
- Financial compensation or other award
5. WHO WILL KNOW ABOUT MY COMPLAINT?
5.1 We will as far as possible respect the confidentiality of your complaint. Whilst we are looking into your complaint your name will not be divulged any more than is absolutely necessary within the Association.
5.2 You will appreciate, however, that if your complaint involves another tenant or a member of staff, it may be very difficult for us to look into this without talking to that tenant or staff member. If you ask us not to talk to the tenant or staff member, we will try to respect your wishes, but it will probably not be possible for us to take any action to tackle the problem.
5.3 It will not normally be possible for us to deal with anonymous complaints, as it is obviously difficult for us to check things with the person making the complaint.
6. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
6.1 You have every right to make a formal complaint whenever you wish to, but in the first instance it can often be quicker and easier for everyone if the problem can be sorted out informally.
6.2 STAGE 1 - INFORMAL RESOLUTION
6.2.1 You can do this by telephone or by visiting the office. You can also write, e- mail or complete one of our complaints forms (attached at the end of this document). In each case we will try to deal with your complaint as quickly as possible. If for any reason, you feel unable to contact us yourself you can appoint someone (for example, a member of your family, a friend or a support worker) to help you make your complaint. When we receive this we will indicate how long it will take for us to investigate the matter. Hopefully, this procedure will solve any difficulty.
6.3 STAGE 2 - FORMAL INTERNAL INVESTIGATION BY APPROPRIATE HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OR CHIEF EXECUTIVE
6.3.1 If the problem has not been sorted out informally, you should, in the first instance complain to the Finance & Quality Officer, West Highland Housing Association, Crannog Lane, Oban PA34 4HB in writing or using the attached complaints form, or by e-mail. Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days, and you will be given the name of the person dealing with your complaint and an expected date of response.
6.3.2 You may also make a verbal complaint where the staff member you speak with will check that they have taken a correct and accurate record of the discussion. You will be asked to sign the appropriate document as confirmation that we have properly recorded your complaint. It is again important that you clearly highlight that you would like the matter to be dealt with in accordance with the Association’s formal complaints procedure.
6.3.3 We will be able, where it would be of help, to arrange assistance for those who wish to make a complaint by providing information in other languages, arranging translation facilities or providing help for those with hearing or sight impairments or special needs.
6.3.4 The Finance & Quality Officer will normally provide a full written response to the complaint within 10 working days of receipt of your complaint. If for any reason we are unable to meet this timescale we will advise you formally of the reason for this as well as indicate as to when we will be able to reach a decision on your complaint
6.4 STAGE 3 – THE APPEALS PROCEDURE
6.4.1 If you don't feel that staff have resolved your complaint satisfactorily, you can appeal to the Association's Management Committee.
6.4.2 After you have written to the Chairman of the Management Committee she/he will write to you within seven working days to acknowledge receipt of your letter.
6.4.3 The Chairman of the Committee will write to you within seven working days of the meeting to let you know the decision. If you are not happy with it you will normally be able to contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.
6.5 STAGE 4 – REFERRAL TO THE SCOTTISH PUBLIC SERVICES OMBUDSMAN
6.5.1 The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman investigates individual complaints against Housing Associations. This is a free and impartial service, and a leaflet about it is available from our office.
The service is available to anyone who receives a service from a Housing Association or who has applied to one of them for housing. Normally you must have gone through the Association's own Complaints Procedure, before the Ombudsman can deal with your complaint.
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is based at:
Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7NS,
Tel : 0800 377 7330
Fax: 0800 377 7331
E-mail: ask@spso.org.uk
Website: www.spso.org.uk
7. IMPROVING OUR SERVICE TO YOU
7.1 Complaints can help us as well as you! We constantly monitor the service we provide and details of complaints made are reported to the Association’s Management Committee and are taken into consideration in the formulation of new policies and procedures. We hope that by reviewing our practices, we can actively prevent a recurrence of similar complaints.
Complaints Form
Click here to download our printable Complaints Form »
