This report provides customers with information on customer feedback in the form of complaints and compliments. It provides information, as required, in line with the annual performance reporting requirements of the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) code.
The HOS code became statutory from 1st April 2024, and states that “landlords must produce an annual complaints performance and service improvement report for scrutiny and challenge.”
Our annual self-assessment against the HOS code evidences compliance with the code.
We report our complaints quarterly on our website and across our publications such as the My Great Place magazine and our Enews bulletins. Look out for this information, and also how we have been using your feedback to improve our services, which you can find branded under ‘You said, We listened’.
To put the information regarding complaint volumes in context, in the last year we:
We continue to improve capturing and managing customer complaints, with a dedicated team and additional training over the past 12 months for all colleagues.
Complaints numbers have continued to increase year on year. In 2023/24 we handled 1,852 complaints. The boxes below shows the increasing number year on year since introduction of the Housing Ombudsman Code.
A stage one complaint is when a complaint is made formal; it will be acknowledged and logged within five working days of it being received. A stage two complaint is when a customer believes that Great Places has failed to fully address their complaint at stage one; they may then request escalation to stage two of the complaints process.
In 2023/24 there were 126 complaints escalated to stage two – 7% of complaints. It is expected that complaints will increase further in 2024/25 including escalations, in response to the HOS code.
Customer profile analysis shows no difference between ethnicity and age and making a complaint. The percentage of customers using the complaints service are slightly higher than population average in most categories, with customers stating white as their ethnic group making 56.48% of complaints, with 57.4% of these being upheld. In terms of age, the standout groups are 35-to-44-year-olds and 55-to-64-year-olds who make the highest number of complaints compared to population.
We received 22 Housing Ombudsman determinations in 2023/24.
*Each HOS determination received can include a number of individual findings based on the various aspects of the complaint. This is why we have more findings than determinations.
We acknowledge that reporting on determinations is a work in progress. Going forward we plan to report on HOS cases received in the previous quarter which will include themes and the learning (we will do this though our You said, We Listened brand). Further to this, it will also include determinations received during this time period.
What were the findings in 2023/24?
During 2023/24 we received three severe maladministration (SM) findings, previously reported to Board. We accepted one of these findings relating to ASB, successfully appealed another, and have a further determination relating to various repairs currently under appeal. All orders relating to the latter determination are on hold pending consideration of the appeal by the HOS.
The orders relating to the severe maladministration on ASB have been met.
All 51 findings referenced above are summarised below. Service failure, maladministration and severe maladministration count in the HOS findings as maladministration:
Complaint Handling Failure Orders (CHFOs): Great Places has not yet received any CHFOs.
We had nine cases with the HOS awaiting determination at year end March 2024, with the majority relating to repair and property related matters.
We receive a broad range of complaints; the top three themes/complaints in each section are listed in the sections below.
The outcomes for stage one complaints received during 2023/24 were:
The annual self-assessment against the HOS Code is available to view on our website. Our Customer Feedback Policy has been reviewed in line with the revised code. The self-assessment for 2023/24 highlights compliance with the HOS code.
The Housing Ombudsman Code is explicit that “Landlords must use complaints as a source of intelligence to identify issues and introduce positive changes in service delivery”. Great Places is committed to learning from customer feedback, including complaints. We share this learning regularly in our customer publications, primarily badging this using the You said, we listened branding. Here are some of the key areas of learning and improvement in the last year.
We are committed to ensuring that we have a positive complaint-handling culture and that all colleagues at Great Places know how to resolve and respond to feedback from our customers in line with our policy and the Complaint Handling Code. To support colleagues, we have designed and implemented a mandatory online training programme to raise awareness about good complaint handling practices, the regulatory requirements around complaint handling and the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code. As of May 2024, over 750 colleagues have completed the training.
Additionally, we host monthly ‘Space to Learn’ drop-in sessions for all colleagues to encourage engagement with the Complaints Officer about complaints handling, themes and trends and to offer valuable signposting to the policy and the Housing Ombudsman Service.
We have also introduced a new standard objective in April 2024 to ensure ownership and responsibility is taken by all colleagues and to support our positive approach to complaints handling:
To improve customer experience with accessing the Customer Feedback Service we have carried out a number of engagement activities with our digital Customer Feedback Community in 2023/24.
These include:
Launch of our Inclusive Services Team in March 2024 to ensure a robust approach to understanding our customers and any vulnerabilities they may have, as well as supporting the recommendations of the recent Attitudes, Respect and Rights Spotlight Report.
The ultimate aim is to tailor services accordingly, including complaints handling. Calls are being made to customers to collect core data (protected characteristics) with follow-up contacts where customers identify additional issues around health and wellbeing, communication and accessibility.
Contacts have also been prioritised around our high risk/high rise buildings to support our building safety engagement plans and with customers in our anchor neighbourhoods to support the regeneration and rightsizing activity taking place. As the data builds, we will be able to spot trends, understand themes and consider the service delivery changes we may need to make going forward.
As of May 2024, we have completed 381 EDI questionnaires – 65% of which highlighted an additional support need.
Customer complaints told us that defects on new developments were not being resolved despite appointments being made and agreed. The impacts of this include inconvenience for customers taking unnecessary time off work and customers not being able to use their home as needed, leading to frustration and disappointment.
As a result, the Development Team has reviewed its model and has redesigned the Post-Contract Team. Customers are no longer impacted by poorly performing contractors who miss and don’t attend appointments.
We now have a dedicated Customer Care Team that takes ownership of the customer journey from purchase to moving in. Early feedback is that this has had a positive impact, with satisfaction around new home quality and the move-in process improving by 8% in six months.
Two connected service improvement reviews were carried out during 2023/24 to make improvements in the end-to-end repairs process. These had a focus on the Customer Hub at first point of contact for customer repair reporting, and the Planning Team in terms of the repairs appointment scheduling and the interface between the teams. Complaints data and learning fed into this review.
The service has improved the processes for ordering follow-on work to reduce delays to repairs and addressing no access.
Previously operatives could not inform the customer when they should expect a follow-on appointment. This left customers hanging and as a result it generated lots of customer demand into the Hub, with people chasing appointments. Following the improvements, operatives now order follow-on work from the property so the customer knows what’s happening next and efficient appointment confirmation provides assurance on when additional repairs will be carried out. This has resulted in a 68% reduction in chase-up calls by customers to the Hub. Delay to repair, as a reason for complaint, has reduced through the year from 117 complaints in quarter one to 71 in quarter four.
We have also worked hard to improve our approach to damp and mould in response to customer feedback including complaints. We have delivered bespoke training across customer-facing teams, improved information to customers including improved web pages, a new leaflet and damp packs for customers. We have also redesigned our approach to damp inspections, advice and guidance. Our Repairs Policy and Damp and Mould Policy have both been revised in 2023/24.
Learning from major repairs complaints has included procurement of Airbnb as an alternative to hotel accommodation for longer-term decants.
A new structure has been put in place with additional team members to respond to the increasing demand from complaints.
The structure aims to ensure consistency in meeting the code and its timescales whilst ensuring a customer focus via a single point of contact, relationship building and tailored service.
Complaints handling improvements include better tracking of complaints resolutions and orders from HOS determinations. In-depth case reviews have been introduced for HOS determinations and stage two complaints to ensure a collaborative response.
Performance information is used to monitor key areas of complaints and areas for improvement. Learning is shared with both customers and colleagues.
A Customer Complaints Group has been established to support our activity around complaints and our new Customer Committee adds further scrutiny of our approach.
Complaints performance was reported to the Committee in February 2024 and a subsequent deep dive into the TSM score for complaint handling has taken place.
We are now seeking to understand the areas where customers feel they have made a complaint and reasons for their low score. Findings and proposed actions were reported back to the Customer Committee in June.
We have developed communications based on customer feedback, working with our Digital Readers’ Group over the last 12 months.
In response to customers asking for more local news we have developed regional information in our magazines, with copies posted to our non-digital customers.
Our new Z-cards share the latest need-to-know information and are distributed by our customer- facing colleagues to customers they interact with. Our web pages have been regularly updated following feedback from customers.
We are currently looking at tech solutions to improve our local communications via hybrid mailing, instant messaging solutions and API integration to allow for more tailored communications with specific groups of customers.
Our new Hub telephony platform, in procurement, will enhance our customer-facing communication offer via the Hub by offering improved analytics and sentiment analysis, voice to video capability, improved omnichannel and chatbot offer and real time payment capability.
HOS Spotlight reports concentrate on an area of service where the HOS sees a high amount of failure through their casework. They examine issues and set out recommendations.
Spotlight reports issued by the HOS in 2023/24 include:
The above complement Spotlight Reports already published by the HOS:
Great Places has designed a strong process to manage requirements set out by the Ombudsman. This includes how we manage Spotlight Reports to provide assurance that Great Places is meeting the requirements and is adopting a proactive approach to insight and learning. The Head of Customer Voice carries out the role of Process Owner to ensure that the process is followed consistently and managed effectively across the organisation.
All Spotlight Reports have an allocated lead officer and sponsor and oversight via Directors.
These lead officers are trained on the process, so they understand their role. The lead officers develop an action plan and oversee delivery of the plan across the organisation. They regularly report on progress and are responsible for the evidence base of activity and communicating any changes and improvements made.
Examples of changes being made in response to the Spotlight Reports include work to improve record keeping including training (linked to KIM) and the work of our new Inclusive Services Team, policy development and inclusive thinking training.
The HOS also issues Special Investigation Reports which look at individual organisations to explore whether complaints indicate wider issues. None of these reports have been issued related to Great Places. Insight Reports are issued quarterly by the HOS looking at case studies from a range of organisations, with the aim of helping landlords make relevant improvements. The Customer Feedback Team share these reports with service leads to consider and respond as appropriate.
Landlords receive individual performance reports – the most recent report for Great Places for 2022/23 is available on The Housing Ombudsman’s website. This was reviewed by Great Places at the point of issue and Great Places reporting now aligns. Great Places featured in a report by the HOS around landlords with high levels of maladministration in 2022/23. Based on our level of maladministration determinations in 2023/24 we are likely to feature in this report again, however the level of maladministration in the sector has increased this year becoming more aligned with what Great Places is seeing.
Customers also tell us when we get our service right. We always look to learn from and share positive feedback around the things that customers value. In 2023/24 we received 1028 customer compliments, all of which are shared with colleagues. Headlines can be seen below.
Landlords are now required to publish their self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) Code, as part of their annual complaints report, on their website. The governing body’s response to the report must be published alongside this by 30th June alongside our Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) submission.
Great Places Board members were asked for their input on our response to the annual report in May. The Customer Committee were also asked to do the same at their meeting in June. Please see below the Board and Customer Committee response to our first Complaint and Service Improvement Report.
Board Members recognise that there has been a continuous development of complaint reporting over the last two years which has meant we have much greater oversight of complaints information, HOS determinations outcomes and learning. Information around all HOS determinations are presented to Board and Audit and Assurance Committee and will now receive oversight via our new Customer Committee.
Board is encouraged to see information around how to complain is made easier for customers and the regular promotion of complaints information on our website, and in customer publications. This includes reporting on numbers and service improvements as part of the You said, We listened branding. As a Board we feel that the report presented at Board on 2 May, and to Customer Committee on 4 June is comprehensive and provides Board and customers with assurance that Great Places meet the code and will continue to deliver and improve services for customers. We are assured that we are sighted on volumes, categories and outcomes for complaints, complaint handling performance and learning.
Customer Committee members discussed the following points of the self-assessment and requested additional clarification be provided as part of the self-assessment and a summary is provided and has been included in the submission –
1.4 Landlords must recognise the difference between a service request and a complaint. This must be set out in their complaints policy. A service request is a request from a resident to the landlord requiring action to be taken to put something right. Service requests are not complaints, but must be recorded, monitored and reviewed regularly.
Evidence about recognition of this can be found in the Customer Feedback Policy under the ‘Service Request’ section – however Great Places is developing reporting to improve tracking of service requests.
4.3 Landlords are expected to prioritise complaint handling and a culture of learning from complaints. All relevant staff must be suitably trained in the importance of complaint handling. It is important that complaints are seen as a core service and must be resourced to handle complaints effectively.
Evidence can be found in the ‘Positive Culture’ section of the Customer Feedback Policy. Great Places has developed an online bespoke training module that all colleagues undertake. The Customer Feedback Team host monthly Space to Learn sessions for all colleagues.
9.8 Landlords must have a standard objective in relation to complaint handling for all relevant employees or third parties that reflects the need to:
Colleagues across the Group have been set a standard objective around complaints handling. Complaint information and outcomes are regularly shared with leaders and colleagues. Managers discuss complaint cases at one to one and team meetings. All HOS cases have a case review with colleagues and the service Director. Learning is shared with colleagues and projects across the business with the aim of embedding service improvements from complaints
Board want to continue to see this level of detail to include our customer profiling data and analysis to ensure our complaints service is accessible and fair for all our customers. Our Member Responsible for Complaints (MRC) is committed to championing complaint reporting and tracking service improvements activity to Board and via their role as Chair of Customer Committee.
Customer Committee has already started to receive more of the detailed complaints reporting and at their first meeting requested a deep dive into the TSM score for complaints. Customer Committee is interested in tracking the impact of service improvements on customers’ experience. This will be in the form of a dashboard that will be developed over the next 12 months.
Members recognise that this is the first year of the new code and will ensure that the business continues to provide the right level of information to Board, Committees, customers and colleagues. Members recognised the role of the MRC and that their dual role with both Board and Customer Committee will support the visibility of complaints and service improvements and is seen as a positive step.
Board and Customer Committee want to continue to focus on learning from complaints, understanding areas of dissatisfaction and feel assured that our service improvement activity is focused on what matters most to customers. Board and Customer Committee want to hear from customers and encourage customers to give their feedback through complaints and other opportunities. Members want customers to know and feel confident that we are listening to their feedback and are committed to continuous improvement of services for the benefit of our customers.
Board and Customer Committee want the business to continue to provide the Customer Experience dashboard which is focused on complaints and service improvement. We will be robust in our challenge to the business and track service improvements to ensure we continue to be a learning organisation which shall listen, and act upon our customers’ feedback.
