Complaints

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”.

Situations that may lead to a complaint include when:

• we fail to meet our legal duties, promises or standards we have set
• we do something wrong, poorly, or fail to do something we should
• we are impolite or unhelpful

A complaint should be brought to us within six months of the problem coming to your attention so that we can investigate it properly and put things right.  However, we understand there may be exceptional circumstances that stopped the complaint being raised earlier and each case will be considered on its own merit.

There are circumstances which we wouldn’t handle under this complaints process such as:

• a first request for a service or information, or if we have not exceeded the timescales set out in our service standards
• the complaint is about another resident, for example a report of anti-social behaviour
• the complaint is not about our housing service – if it's about council tax, school admissions, penalty charges, or anything else, see our main complaints page 
• if you’re not sure if we will handle your issue, please contact us for guidance – you can also contact the Housing Ombudsman for guidance and support

Who can make a complaint?

• anyone who is, or has been, in a landlord/tenant relationship with either Lewisham Homes or Lewisham Council - this includes people who have a lease, tenancy, licence to occupy, service agreement or other arrangement to occupy premises
• an applicant for a property owned or managed by Lewisham Council
• a representative of the people given above as we understand that you may be unable, or reluctant, to make a complaint yourself

However, we want to hear from everyone who is unhappy with our services, as there may be exceptions to the above. We will always let you know how your issue will be taken forward and the next steps available to you.

How will you deal with my issue?

Many problems can be resolved quickly without the need for a formal complaint. We always encourage this approach as the first step to resolving many issues, as it is often the easiest and quickest way to achieve a positive outcome for you.

These expressions of dissatisfaction will be logged on our systems so we can monitor and understand where we are not meeting expectations, and use this information to improve our services.

In the circumstances when we have been unable to resolve your issue, it will be logged as a complaint and handled under our complaints process. 

What is the complaints process?

Our complaints process has the following stages:   

Stage 1

• an investigating officer is appointed, and whenever possible, will contact you by telephone to talk through your complaint to understand the issues, the impact they have had on you, and how you would like your complaint resolved
• once the investigating officer has investigated your complaint, they will send you their response within 10 working days notifying you of the outcome of their review and what we will do to put things right
• if they cannot respond fully to you within 10 working days, they will let you know that more time is needed and the reason why. (Usually a maximum of an additional 10 working days)
• if you do not agree with the outcome of your complaint at stage 1 or the actions proposed to resolve it, you may decide to escalate your case to stage 2 of the complaints process - if this is the case, you should let the Customer Relations team know within 20 working days from the date of the response letter

Stage 2

• a different officer will be appointed, and their role is not usually to reinvestigate the issues you have raised, but to review the actions and decisions taken at stage 1 to check that they were thorough, reasonable and fair
• once the allocated officer has looked into your case, they will send you their response within 20 working days to let you know the outcome and any additional actions to be taken to resolve it
• again, if they are unable to respond fully to you within 20 working days, they will let you know if more time is needed and why (usually a maximum of an additional 10 working days)

What happens if I’m still not happy after my complaint has been through all the stages?

We hope that we will resolve your complaint to your satisfaction. However, if you are still unhappy, you can refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman who is responsible for investigating social housing complaints. You can also contact the Housing Ombudsman at any stage to ask for advice and guidance. The Housing Ombudsman can be contacted via:

Telephone:  0300 111 3000

Email:  info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
Online: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk 
Post: Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 1484, Unit D, Preston, PR2 0ET

How to start a complaint

The simplest way to make a complaint is by completing the online form. This logs your complaint directly into our complaint-handling system, so this is our preferred way to receive new complaints. However, you can also start the process by speaking face-to-face to a member of staff, by phone to 0800 028 2028, or in writing to Freepost HOUSING SERVICES (no stamp needed).

Complaints policy

The complaints policy sets out our policy with regard to handling complaints up to and including the role of the Housing Ombudsman. You can download the policy from the policy library. 

Complaints feedback

We’re keen to engage residents and hear feedback on the services they receive from us. On 8 January 2025 staff from the complaints and repairs teams held a virtual workshop where we feedback and heard from residents on the work we’re doing to improve our repairs and complaints services. View the notes from the virtual workshop. If you wish to be involved in future workshops, please email CommunityRelations@lewisham.gov.uk.

Self-assessment

The London Borough of Lewisham is dedicated to ensuring that our complaint handling processes are transparent, efficient, and aligned with the highest standards.

Annual Complaints Report

This Annual Complaints Report provides an overview of our complaint handling performance for 2023/2024, including analyses of:

• complaints
• responses to Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) findings
• service improvements based on these learnings

Our self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code is guided by the principles of compliance as outlined in the Code Compliance Framework.

Approach and methodology

The self-assessment was carried out using a comprehensive approach that includes the following key components:

• desktop review: we conducted a thorough review of materials published on our external website and intranet to ensure transparency and accessibility
• staff interviews: engaging with staff allowed us to understand the practical application of our complaint handling procedures
• policy and procedure review: all relevant policies and procedures were reviewed to ensure alignment with the Ombudsman's requirements
• complaints performance analysis: we analysed our complaints handling performance using both qualitative and quantitative data, including resident feedback and transactional and perception surveys collected throughout the year
• resident engagement: feedback from our Resident Review Panel, workshops, and surveys provided valuable insights into our performance and areas for improvement
• external guidance: we adhered to guidance from the Housing Ombudsman and the Local Government Social Care Ombudsman, incorporating lessons from their casework

Documents

• view our Annual Complaints Report 2024
• view our Complaints Self Assessment
• view our Service Improvement Plan
• view a snapshot of complaints handling statistics for 2023/24
• view our complaints policy

Response from the Member Responsible for Complaints

The Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code requires landlords to have a Member Responsible for Complaints (MRC) on their governing body to provide assurance to the governing body on the effectiveness of its complaints system, including challenging the data and information provided to the Board or equivalent body.

Lewisham Council’s Member Responsible for Complaints is Cllr Will Cooper, Cabinet Member for Housing Management and Homelessness. This is his response to the 2023/24 Annual Complaints Report:

Having been asked to accept the role of Member Responsible for Complaints I have met with Council Officers to review and scrutinise the 2024 statutory submissions, including the self-assessment against the Code, the annual complaints report and the service improvement plan.

The context of the findings is following the reintegration of Lewisham Homes into the Council in October 2023, a review revealed significant failings, especially in repairs, leading to increased complaints.

In November 2023, we initiated a Housing Transformation Programme covering both repairs and complaints. In December 2023 we self-referred to the Regulator of Social Housing based on significant issues in our repairs service, overdue fire risk actions and a high level of non-decent homes. We received a regulatory notice in March 2024, and we are engaging monthly with the Regulator on our improvement actions.

In the self-assessment we have noted areas of non-compliance with the Code, including a significant increase in the number of complaints and maladministration findings from the Housing Ombudsman Service.

Resident feedback is pivotal to our service delivery, and I note we have actively engaged with our residents to understand their concerns and expectations.

Findings from the self-assessment, Housing Ombudsman casework, work with the Regulator for Social Housing, and resident feedback showed the areas of greatest concern for residents were our repairs service, particularly in the handling of damp, mould, and leaks.

The identified issues have guided the development of the Service Improvement Action Plan which in turn feeds into both the Housing Transformation Programme and the Council wide Complaints Handling Improvement Project (CHIP).

I acknowledge the progress made to date including:

• reduction in the backlog of repairs
• increase in the number of routine and urgent repairs completed on time
• changes to our casework management system to meet the new requirements and improve our record keeping and monitoring of cases
• changes and updates to key policies
• review of staffing and structures to ensure we have the right resources in place to meet demand
• the development of Council-wide training for staff on complaint handling

I note that the Housing Ombudsman have initiated a special investigation under paragraph 49 of the Housing Ombudsman scheme due to the high maladministration rates Lewisham have received in repairs, damp, mould and leaks handling, and the handling of complaints. 

Whilst the report clearly highlights an unprecedented volume of complaints and findings of maladministration, it is a transparent and honest reflection of Lewisham’s performance in challenging times, and importantly how we are putting in place changes to improve not just complaint handling but wider service improvements.