Section 5 - Housing Ombudsman complaint handling code

The Authority’s Complaints and compliments policy and Housing complaints procedure remained in line with the Housing Ombudsman’s complaint handling code during 2023/2024.

Both documents have now been updated and implemented to ensure compliance with the new Complaint handling code, which went live on 1 April 2024. A further amendment has been made following a change of correspondence address for the Housing Ombudsman Service.

A self-assessment against the Complaint Handling Code and the contents of this report were reported to the Council's Cabinet on 17 June 2024.

The self-assessment was approved and found to be reflective of the Council's approach to complaints. A copy of the self-assessment has been published on our website and can be found on the Housing complaints – a guide for tenants and leaseholders page.

The Council's Cabinet comments on this report can be found in June 2024 Cabinet minutes.

The Housing Ombudsman Service have a duty to monitor landlords' compliance with their Complaint Handling Code, which is a statutory instrument. In order to demonstrate compliance we have submitted an annual return to the Ombudsman, which includes details of our self-assessment, this report and Cabinet's comments on this report.