Complaints and compliments
Feedback
We aim to provide a good quality service at all times.
Your feedback is important to us, because it helps us to improve our services for the future. Whether you have good things to say, or a complaint to make, we want to hear from you.
To give us feedback:
- talk to a member of staff
- call us on 020 8985 7120
- email us at housing@shian.org.uk
- text us at 07535 269 269
- complete our Compliments and complaints form
- download our Complaints procedure, or
- write to us at Shian Housing Association Ltd, 76 Mare Street, Hackney, London E8 3SG
Making a compliment
We want to hear from you if you have something good to say about our services. If we got something right, we want to keep on doing it. It is also great encouragement for our staff when people say “thank you”.
Our complaints process
We have a simple complaints process. At every stage, we confirm the details in writing.
Stage one: Frontline resolution
You can pass on your complaint by:
- telling a member of staff in person
- phoning
- emailing, or
- sending us a letter.
We aim to resolve complaints at stage one quickly. We will give you our decision within 10 working days, unless, in exceptional circumstances, we have to extend this time and let you know why.
Stage two: Investigation
If we haven’t been able to resolve your complaint at stage one, or if the complaint is more complicated, we will investigate further. We aim to give you a full response to the complaint within 20 working days. If we find that it might take longer, we will give you a revised timetable.
Take your complaint outside Shian
If you are still dissatisfied after going through our complaints process, you have the right to take your complaint further.
Designated person
If your complaint is about your home or tenancy, after you have exhausted our complaints process you can take it to a ‘designated person’ – usually an MP or a councillor.
In some larger housing associations, but not ours at the moment, a tenant organisation can play this role.
Your ‘designated person’ will either try to resolve the problem with us, or refer your complaint, in writing, direct to the Housing Ombudsman Service.
Housing Ombudsman
The Housing Ombudsman can take complaints referred from a designated person (see above).
For a complaint direct from you (where you don’t contact a designated person first), you will have to wait eight weeks after getting our final response, before you can involve the Housing Ombudsman.
HOS videos on how to make a complaint to your landlord and explanation on how to complain to the HOS if you are still dissatisfied.
To contact the Housing Ombudsman, write to:
Housing Ombudsman Service
PO Box 152
Liverpool L33 7WQ
Phone: 0300 111 3000
Lines are open Monday to Friday from 9.15am to 5.15pm (except public holidays).
Email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
You can also submit your complaint and download supporting documents using their online form.
Compensation
If we agree that our service has not met a high enough standard, we may apologise, or offer you a small gift as a gesture of goodwill.
If we have caused you more significant inconvenience, we may offer compensation.
We also offer compensation for certain home improvements that you leave in your home – providing you got our permission before carrying out the work.
See our Compensation and goodwill policy to find out more