Our aim is to provide an excellent service to customers at all times, but sometimes, despite our best efforts, occasionally things can go wrong and if they do we want to put it right, as soon as we can, to our customers’ satisfaction.
If you do need to tell us something has gone wrong, you can do so by using our online form. In the same way, if you think we have done a great job, we would like to know as well so we can pass this onto the people who have delivered the service. All this feedback helps our services to improve as we learn from these compliments and complaints.
Click here to leave a comment or complaint
Housing Ombudsman Service
Complaints about the council as your landlord will be considered by the Housing Ombudsman Service as a final stage of the complaints process, although you can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service for advice at any time.
If you are a council tenant or leaseholder, you can complain about a council service using the council’s own complaints procedure. This has two stages; stage 1 and if you are not happy with the outcome, a further review at stage 2.
If, after stage 2 of the complaints procedure, you are not happy with the outcome then you may choose to request a review by a ‘designated person’. This would be either a MP, councillor or recognised tenant panel (made up of representatives of the council's Tenants' Voice). Please get in touch with the customer feedback team if you want to contact the tenants' panel on customer.feedback@stoke.gov.uk. The final stage if you are still not happy with the outcome of this review, would be to contact the Housing Ombudsman.
If you have chosen not to request a review by a ‘designated person’ you will have to wait eight weeks from the response date of the stage 2 complaint letter before contacting the Housing Ombudsman directly.
The Housing Ombudsman Service can only consider complaints referred by:
- a ‘designated person’ (MP, councillor or recognised tenant panel - this is made up of representatives of the council's tenants' board)
- the tenant themselves where the designated person was unable to resolve the matter
- the tenant themselves after eight weeks have passed from the completion of the council’s internal complaint process (where a designated person is not used)
As part of the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code launched in 2020 all social landlords have been required to publish a self-assessment on how they meet this new code. Click here for more details on the Complaint Handling Code.
The complaint housing code acts as a guide for customers, setting out what they can expect from their landlord when they complain. It also provides residents with information about how to make a complaint and how to progress it through the landlord’s internal complaints procedure.
The self assessment form below demonstrates how the council’s Housing Service has met the code in 2020.
The Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code - Self Assessment Form
Contact the Housing Ombudsman Service
The Housing Service currently deals with complaints under the council’s complaints procedure. Click here to view the complaints, comments and compliments procedure.
Housing Complaints Performance
Each year we collate details of our performance in dealing with housing complaints within the Annual Customer Feedback report. Please contact the Customer Feeback Team if you require a copy of the report on customer.feedback@stoke.gov.uk.