Have Your Say Complaints, Comments and Compliments February 2017 1
At Your Homes Newcastle (YHN), we aim to give an excellent service but we do recognise that sometimes things can go wrong. When this happens we will try to put things right and continually improve our service. What is a complaint? If you are unhappy about:
The standard of service you receive from us
Our response to your request for a service or
Something we did or didn’t do
You can make a complaint and we will investigate the matter. Complaints should be made as soon as possible. We will not normally investigate a complaint if it is about something that happened more than six months ago. The first request for a service (such as a repair or a first report of neighbour nuisance) is not a complaint. It only becomes a complaint if you feel the service requested has not been performed or has not been performed well. Who can complain? Anyone who uses our services: tenants, leaseholders, applicants for housing and members of the wider community affected by our services. How to make a complaint You can make a complaint by:
Filling in the online form at www.yhn.org.uk
Email to ccc@yhn.org.uk
Telephone YHN on 01912788600
Visiting your local HUB
Please tell us what your complaint is about, if you have already spoken to someone at YHN about it and what you would like to do to put things right. How we will handle your complaint Where ever possible YHN will try to resolve your complaint informally at first point of contact. In the majority of cases our front line officers will investigate the issue and listen to what you would like to do to put things right. If the case is more complex or it is not possible to resolve the complaint at this point, the complaint will enter into the formal process. We will:
Acknowledge your complaint within two working days and give you the name of the person dealing with your complaint
Confirm with you what you would like to be done and fully investigate your complaint before responding to you in writing within 10 working days. If we need more time to investigate we will tell you.
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Aim to resolve your complaint at this stage
If you are not satisfied with our response please let us know within 28 days and explain why. Then;
A relevant senior manager, assistant director or equivalent will review your complaint and the previous investigation. They will respond within a further 10 working days wherever possible
In the unlikely event that you are still dissatisfied you can contact Complaints at Newcastle City Council who will conduct an independent review of the investigation. Please let them know the reason why you remain dissatisfied within 28 days. They will:
Acknowledge your complaint within three working days and give you the name of the person dealing with your complaint
Confirm with you what you would like to be done and fully investigate your complaint before responding to you in writing within 28 working days. If we need more time to investigate we will tell you.
Further options If you are still not satisfied you can complain to an Ombudsman service. Any complaints relating to the management of the Allocations and Lettings Policy that YHN manage on behalf of Newcastle City Council can be referred to the Local Government Ombudsman. You can contact the Local Government Ombudsman at: PO Box 4771 Coventry CV4 0EH online at www.lgo.org.uk or telephone: 0300 061 0614. Complaints about all other services that YHN deliver can either be made to a designated person or direct to the Housing Ombudsman after an eight week period from the closing of the complaint. Designated persons are any local councillor or an MP. Designated persons help to resolve disputes between tenants and their landlord. If the designated person cannot help they can refer the complaint to the Housing Ombudsman before the eight week period. You can contact the Housing Ombudsman at 81 Aldwych, London WC28 4HN Email at info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk or telephone: 0300 111 3000
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