Housing feedback and complaints

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service given or the action, or lack of action, taken by the City’s staff in responding to a customer request or enquiry. Examples of a complaint can include where the complainant believes staff have:

• failed to do something that should have been done
• failed to meet service standards
• treated a resident rudely or unfairly

Complaints need to be made within six months of the event which caused the complaint.

We will take every reasonable step to resolve a complaint, whilst acting within our policies, procedures and statutory (legal) duties.

• A request for services, information or an explanation will not be treated as a complaint – staff will first be given the opportunity to respond to the request or enquiry and to follow required procedures
• Complaints about other residents or neighbour disputes – these are managed via our Anti-social Behaviour Policy
• Formal service charge disputes – which are dealt with under a separate legal process called the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)
• Appeals against allocations or tenancy decisions – these are managed under appeals processes
• Disagreement with a City of London policy or procedure. We encourage comments and feedback on our policies via consultation processes and will take comments received into account when policies are reviewed
• Requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000. Information on how to make a FOI request can be found on the City of London Access to Information webpage
• Requests for information that the City of London may hold about you, your home and tenancy and other personal information. This is classed as a Subject Access Request (SAR). Please refer to the City of London access to information web page for further information
• Any issue that has previously been addressed through the Housing Service’s formal Complaint’s Policy
• We do not accept complaints where the resident has started legal proceedings or has previously taken the matter to court or tribunal

The Housing Ombudsman Service is set up by law to look at complaints about housing organisations. The Housing Ombudsman resolve disputes involving tenants and leaseholders of social landlords and  voluntary members (private landlords and letting agents who are committed to good service for their tenants).

Residents can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service at any stage of a complaint.

Contact the Housing Ombudsman

By phone: 0300 111 3000

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman look at individual complaints about councils and all adult social care providers. They are a free service that investigate complaints in a fair and independent way.

Contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

By phone: 0300 061 0614

The Housing Ombudsman Service published in a new Complaints Handling Code in July 2020, setting out good practice that will allow landlords to respond to complaints effectively and fairly.

Self-assessment

Landlords have been asked to self-assess against the Complaints Code to ensure compliance and publish the results.

Refer to our Noise Nuisance leaflet for information on what we can investigate and act upon, and how you should go about recording and reporting noise problems on your estate.

What we can do to help

Estate staff will keep a record of all reports of noise but can only take action on noise complaints where the local authority can investigate, gather evidence and independently witness unreasonable noise levels from your home, this can be done using the noise monitoring app (The Noise App). We can accept anonymous complaints but this does limit what we may be able to do to help. 

What we do not investigate

Everyday living noise is not regarded as anti-social behaviour, even if this does cause a disturbance. Everyday living noise could include, but is not limited to, noise from washing machines, moving furniture, doors opening and closing, vacuuming and DIY work, children playing (with the exception of riding play equipment, such as bikes and scooters, indoors). We will not investigate these claims unless the noise is at unreasonable hours and persistent. We ask that residents have consideration for neighbours in terms of levels of noise created in their homes.