When Things Go Wrong

Complaints and Appeals

CTH aims to provide services that meet customer needs. The Trust aims to resolve complaints effectively within set targets and to the customer's satisfaction.

Enquiries and complaints will be dealt with promptly and efficiently in order to be effective. Staff will at all times seek to assist those wishing to enquire or complain.

The Trust will develop a detailed complaints procedure, together with the relevant forms which will be available from reception, or can be posted, at the request of a customer. Regular monitoring and performance review will be carried out throughout the complaint process.

Staff will be expected to meet the Trust's customer service expectations in their day-to-day contacts, and training and supervision will be geared towards this need.

CTH will investigate fully all enquiries and complaints made about its service to customers. The Trust has a procedure for dealing with enquiries and complaints which is publicised and provides clear stages for progression of an enquiry or complaint.

CTH views enquiries and complaints as important feedback to help the Trust improve the quality of services we provide. Any form of enquiry, complaint or suggestion should be welcomed as it provides an important indicator as to how the Trust is performing.

Who can make an enquiry or complaint?

• Anyone living in a property managed by CTH;
• Family, friends or tenant representatives acting on behalf of and with the consent of, tenants, leaseholders or residents;
• Any public representative (e.g. MP, councillor) or advice giving agency or organisation acting on behalf of and with the consent of tenants, residents or leaseholders;
• Anyone wishing to receive services from CTH e.g. housing applicants.

CTH will define an enquiry as: "The first notification received by the Trust that there is an issue or request for services. Any initial contact will not normally be dealt with as a complaint unless it relates to misconduct, maladministration or extreme service failure."

An enquiry may be about:

• a service e.g. a tenant enquiry as to why they have been on the transfer list for so long and why they have not been re-housed, increase in rent of service charges
• the initial notification of a defect e.g. the first reporting of a repair.

CTH will define a complaint as: "An enquiry will become a complaint if the matter remains unresolved and the customer remains dissatisfied."

CTH defines an appeal as: "The complainant that remains dissatisfied after using the complaints procedure up to and including review by the Director and has appealed to the Trust's Board of Management."

• a subsequent appeal to the Independent Housing Ombudsman Scheme.

Information leaflets on CTH's procedures are available from the office. The Trust's complaint procedure has three stages, as described below.

Enquiries

• enquiry received, acknowledged and responded to by any member of staff with a reference to the appropriate section.
• follow up action/response by section Manager if tenant is not satisfied with initial reply.

If a customer is not satisfied with the investigation or outcome of his or her enquiry or complaint he or she has a right to complain to the Independent Housing Ombudsman. CTH's policy is based on the following assumptions:

• enquiries and complaints will be dealt with promptly, courteously, systematically, and fairly
• enquiries and complaints will be dealt with in confidence
• complainants will be kept informed of progress and the outcome of any investigation
• enquiries and complaints will be recorded, monitored and acknowledged where appropriate
• complainants will have the right, at their own cost, to have a friend or advocate present at any interview
• CTH will use the complaints system to learn from its mistakes and to raise the level of customer satisfaction
• CTH will advise all dissatisfied complainants of their rights to redress
• where mistakes have occurred, CTH will not only apologise, but also where appropriate, seek to put the complainant in the position he or she enjoyed before the mistake was made
• CTH will publish information about its performance against standards and targets in handling complaints
• all staff likely to be involved in handling enquiries or complaints will receive training.

Priorities

CTH aims to resolve complaints at an early stage in the process. All complaints are to be processed within the stated timescales. The Operational Manager must be informed immediately if a customer states he or she is going to approach the Independent Housing Ombudsman.

Responsibility

The Operations Manager will be the designated officer responsible for the implementation of this policy, and for ensuring that all staff involved in complaints handling are adequately trained in the correct procedures.