Complaints policy

Approved by residents stamp At CKH we always aim to get it right for our residents, but we know that occasionally we will fail to meet our residents' expectations and deliver on the service we promise. When a resident raises a complaint we aim to deal with it promptly, fairly, and transparently.

This policy outlines the steps we will take to resolve complaints raised against us and the actions that residents can take if they are dissatisfied with our service. The policy complies with the regulatory standards for social landlords as well as the Housing Ombudsman's Complaints Handling Code and is applicable to all residents.

Our commitment to you

Our aim is to deliver excellent services all the time. When we get it wrong, we welcome feedback and the chance to make it right. We believe that complaints are an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and to make our services better for the future. Whenever a resident expresses dissatisfaction, we will give them the choice of making a complaint.

A resident does not have to use the word 'complaint' for it to be treated as such.

We recognise the difference between a service request and a complaint. A service request is a request from a resident asking us to take action to put something right. We will record and monitor all service requests to ensure we understand any areas where we can improve.

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by us or anyone acting on our behalf, that affects a resident or group of residents. Any complaints related to our contractors will be investigated in line with this complaints policy.

Examples of a complaint include:

When a resident gets in touch within 12 months of an issue happening or after they become aware of it.
When service standards have not been met or actions were not completed within the agreed timeframe.
If our actions do not follow our published policies.
Instances of unprofessional behaviour by staff or anyone working on our behalf.

We will ensure that:

Our process for handling complaints is easily accessible, well publicised, and easy to use.
Where possible complaints will be resolved as quickly as possible and within the published timeframes below.
There are no adverse effects to you as a result of making a complaint.
All complaints will be dealt with in a fair and consistent way.
We will keep you fully informed of progress at all stages of the complaint.
You are treated fairly when you make a complaint, and that we handle your complaint sensitively and respect your privacy and confidentiality.
We make sure you are aware of the Complaints Handling Code and your right to refer a complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS).
We monitor and learn from resident feedback and ensure that complaints are considered when reviewing any service, the organisation provides to its residents and the performance of employees and contractors.

Exclusions

We will accept a complaint unless there is a valid reason not to do so.

There are circumstances in which a matter will not be considered to be a complaint for example:

We will not normally accept complaints about issues that occurred more than 12 months ago unless it relates to a safeguarding or health and safety matter. However, we may exercise discretion to consider complaints outside of this timeframe where there are valid reasons for the delay.
Where legal proceedings have started. This is defined as details of the claim, such as the Claim Form and Particulars of Claim, having been filed at court.
Any matter that has previously been considered under the complaints policy.
If it is a service request.
Persistent complainants - a separate policy (Unreasonable Behaviour Policy) is in place to manage this.

If we do not accept a complaint, a detailed explanation will be provided setting out the reasons the matter is not suitable for the complaints process and the right to take that decision to the Housing Ombudsman.

How to make a complaint

When you tell us you are not happy with an aspect of our business, our policies or the actions of a member of CKH staff or contractor, we will raise a complaint.

A complaint can be made by any of the following:

Any CKH resident, service user, advocate or third-party representative on their behalf.
Neighbours of a resident.
Members of the general public.

You can make a complaint through any of our normal contact channels, including in person, by telephone, email, Live Chat, in writing and via social media. People who wish to make a complaint can also contact complaints@crosskeyshomes.co.uk

If you wish to raise an issue with us via social media, we encourage you to message us through private message channel to maintain confidentiality. We are unable to discuss any issues relating to individuals in a public forum.

If we receive a complaint in the form of a petition it will be dealt with following the normal complaints procedure, on the address of the lead complainant only. The petition will be treated as one complaint and all correspondence will be addressed to the lead complainant only.

Complaints can be submitted on behalf of a resident by third parties, such as next of kin or power of attorney. In such cases, we require written consent from the resident before we can discuss any details of the complaint with their representative. This is to ensure compliance with our Data Protection Policy and GDPR requirements.

Our complaints process

If your complaint concerns issues such as damp, mould, or any emergency hazard, we will continue to investigate and repair these in accordance with the timeframes specified by Awaab's Law, as detailed in our repairs policy. Your complaint will be managed separately and in line with the timescales outlined in this policy, which differ from those required by Awaab's Law.

Stage One

The Chief Executive's Office will register and acknowledge a complaint within five (5) working days of it being received. This will include confirmation of which aspects of the complaint we are investigating, and if any fall outside our remit.

The complaint will be assigned to a Complaint Manager to investigate. They will respond to the complainant within ten (10) working days of the acknowledgement being sent. If, for whatever reason, this timescale is unlikely to be achieved, the Complaint Manager will contact the complainant, advising of the reason for the delay and providing an anticipated date of response. Any extension will not be longer than 10 additional working days without a good reason.

Where residents raise additional complaints during the investigation, these will be incorporated into the stage 1 response if they are related, and the stage 1 response has not been issued. Where the stage 1 response has been issued, the new issues are unrelated to those already being investigated, or it would unreasonably delay the response, then the new issues will be logged as a new complaint.

The aim is to resolve complaints at this stage, however if the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of stage one of the process, they will be advised to contact us at complaints@crosskeyshomes.co.uk within ten (10) working days of the date of the stage one response and provide, if possible, details of why they remain unhappy and wish to escalate the complaint to stage two, and the redress they are seeking.

Should the complainant not reply, we will assume that the complainant is satisfied with the response, and the complaint will be closed.

Stage Two

If the complainant remains dissatisfied with the decision made at stage one, they can escalate their complaint to stage two which will be dealt with by another Complaint Manager who will further investigate and review the complaint and consider the action taken under the stage once process in a fair and impartial manner.

The Chief Executive's Office will register and acknowledge the stage two complaint within five (5) working days of the escalation request being received. This will include confirmation of which aspects of the complaint we are investigating and if any, fall outside our remit. The Complaint Manager will provide the complainant with a decision within twenty (20) working days of the stage two complaint acknowledgement date. If this timescale is unlikely to be achieved, the Complaint Manager will make contact to advise of the reason for the delay and provide the complainant with an anticipated date of response. Any extension must be no more than 20 additional working days without good reason.

Stage 2 is our final response. We will not unreasonably deny a request for a complaint to be reviewed and escalated.

Escalation to stage 2 is however not warranted during the process if:

The complainant is raising only new issues, not previously included in their complaint.
The action taken is set out by legislation or regulation.
Legal and or regulatory action is being taken against CKH. Where we receive correspondence initiating a pre-action protocol and legal proceedings have not yet been issued, we will be clear on how we are handling the correspondence, whether under our complaint process, a pre-action protocol or both.
The complaint has previously been determined as persistent (vexatious) and is being made to intentionally cause harassment and disrupt the proper workings of the organisation.

All complaints will be recorded on our contact management system, and a full record will be kept, including the original complaint details, date received, all correspondence, reports, and communication, and outcomes of each stage.

We will address all points raised in the complaint and provide clear reasons for any decisions, referencing the relevant policy, law, and good practice where appropriate.

Putting things right

Where we identify that something has gone wrong, we are committed to putting things right. Our response will clearly set out the actions we have taken or will take to resolve the issue. This may include:

Offering a meaningful apology.
Taking corrective action where there has been a delay or services failure.
Reconsidering or amending a decision.
Reviewing and improving relevant policies, procedures, or practices.
Providing a financial remedy where appropriate.

Compensation

Following a complaint being investigated and concluded, if our service has not met the specified standard and a resident has been inconvenienced or suffered financial loss as a result, they may be entitled to a compensation payment.

The amount of the payment will depend upon:

The nature of the problem.
The degree of financial loss or inconvenience caused to the resident including the time and trouble taken to raise the complaint with us.
The length of time the problem has been on-going.
Previous action taken by CKH, including any recompense made.
Any costs the resident has had to meet because of the problem.

Residents will be made aware that compensation payments are accepted in full and final settlement of their claim and that further compensation in relation to the same event will not be considered.

In instances where compensation is due to a resident whose rent account is in arrears or where other monies are owed to CKH, consideration will be given to the compensation being deducted from the debt, as a breach of tenancy has occurred. In these circumstances CKH reserves the right to withhold payment and any compensation may be offset.

The authorisation of compensation payments under £500 will be at the discretion of the Complaint Manager over £500 will be at the discretion of relevant Director.

Learning from Complaints

We will use complaints to drive continuous learning and improvement.

Complaints will be reviewed to identify any common themes and areas for learning. Any issues identified will be raised with the relevant service area and/or contractor to aid service improvement.

Senior management will assess any themes or trends to identify systemic issues, serious risks, and policies and procedures that require revision. This will also inform training for both colleagues and contractors and improve communication and record keeping.

We will report back on wider learning and improvements by publishing information to residents, scrutiny groups, colleagues, and stakeholders, as well as providing evidence on our website and annual report.

The Housing Ombudsman Service

We comply with all provisions set in the Housing Ombudsman's Complaints Handling Code, self-assess against the Code annually and publish the outcome on our website. Where we cannot resolve a complaint through our complaints process we will signpost the complainant to the Housing Ombudsman Service. For further information visit the Housing Ombudsman Service website www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk. Alternatively, you can contact them by:

Email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk

Post: Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 1484, Unit D, Preston PR2 0ET

Telephone: 0300 111 3000

Complaints about any aspect of our Care Service will be dealt with according to the Care Quality Commission's procedures.

Compensation

Following a complaint being investigated and concluded, if CKH's service has not met the specified standard and a resident has been inconvenienced or suffered financial loss as a result, they may be entitled to a compensation payment.

The amount of the payment will depend upon:

The nature of the problem.
The degree of financial loss or inconvenience caused to the resident including the time and trouble taken to raise the complaint with us.
The length of time the problem has been on-going.
Previous action taken by CKH, including any recompense made.
Any costs the resident has had to meet because of the problem.

Residents will be made aware that compensation payments are accepted in full and final settlement of their claim and that further compensation in relation to the same event will not be considered.

The authorisation of compensation payments will be at the discretion of the relevant Service Director.

Further information:

Who is responsible for managing complaints?

The Service Manager Complaints has overall responsibility for the management of the complaints process and the allocation of cases to the Complaints team.

The Chief Executive's office has responsibility for the registration of all complaints and the initial correspondence to the complainant.

Legislation and regulation

This policy is written in accordance with the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Housing Ombudsman's Complaints Handling Code
Regulator of Social Housing's Consumer Standards
Equality Act 2010

Information sharing

Cross Keys Homes has an information sharing agreement with key agencies and contractors to share information in relation to the management and treatment of damp and mould and carrying out associated repairs. Information shared must be relevant and the Data Protection Procedure adhered to when handling data.

Monitoring and review

The Complaints Policy was reviewed in November 2025 and approved by our Resident Experience Panel and Complaints Panel in December 2025. It will be reviewed annually - next review November 2026.

Complaints policy

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