Comments, compliments and complaints

If you want to tell us about an experience you have had, either good or bad, with Cornwall Housing, we would love to hear from you.
This page explains how you can make a complaint or compliment about Cornwall Housing or anyone acting on our behalf.

Make a compliment or complaint online

This webform should not be used for complaints about neighbours. We treat those types of complaints as anti-social behaviour reports.

Report anti-social behaviour

Tell us about a complaint or compliment

You can make a complaint or compliment in any way that suits you.

Often the easiest way for people to do this is by completing and submitting the form at the top of this page. But you can also make a complaint or compliment by:

Email – cornwallhousingcomplaints@cornwallhousing.org.uk

Calling – 0300 1234 161

Writing – Cornwall Housing Ltd, Chy Trevail, Beacon Technology Park, Bodmin, Cornwall, PL31 2FR

Social media – you can also message us on social media but we would ask you not to put your personal details in a public post so that you protect your privacy.

Complaints explained

To help us manage complaints in a consistent and professional way, we use our Complaints Policy.

Complaints Policy

The Policy explains what we define as a complaint and the difference between a complaint and a request for service.

A complaint is: “An expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the organisation, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents”

An enquiry is an initial request for service or a question about the service that we provide, and they will not be treated as a complaint. This is because Cornwall Housing must have had the opportunity to deal with any request before a complaint can be considered.

The policy also explains exactly how we will handle your complaint. Our aim is to make sure we resolve any problems as quickly as possible and keep you informed about the action we are taking.

We have also produced a Complaints leaflet, which is meant as a quick guide for customers that covers some of the key information within our Complaints Policy.

Complaints leaflet

Summary of the complaints process

If you cannot download the documents above, below is a very brief overview of the complaints process:

Internal Stage 1 – investigation by an appropriate staff member/team (supported by the Complaints Team)

When receiving a complaint we will:

• acknowledge within 3 working days, and advise the customer of the staff member who will investigate and respond
• explain within the acknowledgment our understanding of the complaint and the outcomes the customer is seeking, and if any aspect of the complaint is unclear, the customer must be asked for clarification and the full definition agreed between the customer and us
• call the customer to find out more about the complaint and discuss a resolution
• follow up the call with a written response within 10 working days of the complaint receipt; if it is likely to take longer, we will keep the customer updated and aim to respond within a further 10 working days of the complaint receipt

We make it clear at this stage that the customer must provide us with all the information that they want us to consider in dealing with their complaint as no additional information will be considered after stage one.

Internal Stage 2 – review by a Senior Manager / Director

• The customer must provide a reason for escalating their complaint within 20 working days of receiving the stage one response.
• On receipt of a request to escalate, the stage 1 investigating officer must consult with the complaints team and provide a handover to the stage 2 investigating manager/director.
• Once a stage 2 has been accepted we will:
  • acknowledge within 3 working days, and advise the customer of the staff member who will review the complaint
  • explain within the acknowledgment our understanding of the complaint and the outcomes the customer is seeking, and if any aspect of the complaint is unclear, the customer must be asked for clarification and the full definition agreed between the customer and us
  • call the customer to find out why the resolution offered at stage one is not satisfactory and what we can do to resolve their complaint
  • respond to the customer within 20 working days of the complaint receipt; if it is likely to take longer, we will keep the customer updated and aim to respond within a further 10 working days of the complaint receipt

Housing Ombudsman Service

If your complaint goes through both stages and you believe it has still not been resolved to your satisfaction, you can go to the Housing Ombudsmen Service, who is independent of Cornwall Housing.

In most cases, Cornwall Housing must have had the opportunity to respond to the complaint before the Ombudsmen will consider it.

The Housing Ombudsman helps tenants and landlords resolve complaints. More information about the Housing Ombudsman Service can be found on their website.

The Housing Ombudsman Contact details are below:

Website: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk

Email: info@housingombudsman.org.uk

Phone: 0300 111 3000

Address: Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 152, Liverpool L33 7WQ

Complaint Code explained

The Housing Ombudsman published a Complaint Code in July 2020 setting out good practice about responding to complaints effectively and fairly. Cornwall Housing must self-assess against the Code and publish the results each year. Our latest self-assessment is below.

Cornwall Housing self-assessment of Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code

Compensation

In some cases, we may feel it necessary and appropriate to offer compensation in response to your complaint.
To help guide our decisions about when compensation should be paid and how much should be offered, we follow our Compensation Policy.

Compensation Policy

If English is not your first language and would prefer this information in an alternative method. Please see our Accessible Information.