Complaints and improvements
whg annual complaints performance and service improvement report 2023/24
At whg, we strive to provide excellent services to our customers but appreciate that sometimes things go wrong. We value your feedback and complaints, as this allows us to learn from our mistakes and continuously improve our services.
The complaints process
There are two stages to our formal complaints process, starting with an investigation followed by a review. If you are not happy with the outcome after a review you can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service.
Complaints results 2023/24
How many complaints?
- We received 527 complaints in 2023/24 (compared to 345 in 2022/23).
- 116 of these complaints were escalated to Stage two (compared to 51 in 2022/23).
What were the complaints about?
The service areas where we received the most complaints includes repairs (273 complaints) and community housing (116 complaints).
Repairs complaint themes
Housing complaint themes
How quickly did we deal with complaints?
We completed more than 90% of stage one and stage two complaints within required timescales. This includes complaints where we agreed extensions. Read more to understand complaint timescales.
How were complaints resolved?
We will deal with all points raised in a complaint and provide clear reasons for any decisions. Complaints can be resolved in a number of ways.
Why we might refuse a complaint
We do not accept certain complaints, including those that:
- have already gone through our full complaints process (so the next step is the Housing Ombudsman Service)
- are made too late, outside our complaints policy timescales.
Complaints referred to the Housing Ombudsman Service
We work closely with the Housing Ombudsman Service to make sure we are dealing with complaints in line with the complaints handling code, and to help us improve our services.
8 complaints were investigated by the Housing Ombudsman.
4 cases of maladministration were identified (non-compliance with our policies).
Examples of non compliance included:
- time taken to complete repairs
- our response to reports of neighbour noise nuisance
Lessons learned from complaints
We have listened to what customers told us during the complaints process, and are making various improvements to our services to prevent problems arising again.
We introduced a new process to review complaints and better understand the issues customers were raising with us. We looked at the root cause, so we could identify improvements and agree action plans with the relevant teams.
We have provided some examples below, looking at repairs and window replacements, neighbourhood management as well as the moving in process.
Improving our repairs service
We invested an additional £5m and recruited new repairs colleagues to help reduce wait times.
They did a brilliant job
on my kitchen and completed
the work that needed to be
done without stopping and
starting or saying they will
have to be back tomorrow
to finish it - it was
completed in one day.
Improving window glazing
Neighbourhood management
We invested £1.1m to upgrade our CCTV cameras across our neighbourhoods, enabling us to better identify incidents of ASB, criminality and fly-tipping. We asked customers to help us design an improved service offer that
better meets their expectations.
Improving the moving in experience
We were receiving complaints from customers that homes were not up to standard on moving in, including rubbish being left behind or issues with the home / garden.
Improving the complaints process
As well as tackling the issues raised in the complaint, we want to improve the complaints process. That's why we have introduced new training for colleagues that deal with complaints.
Find out more about how complaints have helped us improve our services.
Our promise to you
“We are committed to ensuring customers receive the best possible services from whg and use all feedback and complaints as opportunities to learn and improve. We make it easy for customers to make a complaint, and with a strong focus on early resolution, we support customers as quickly as possible when something goes wrong. We continue to improve our complaints handling process to ensure we provide excellent customer service and remain compliant with the high standards set out by the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaints Handling Code. The whg Board regularly scrutinise complaints performance and monitor the action plans that are in place to continually improve services. We will continue to use feedback to drive positive change and will always strive to do the best for our customers.”
How we measure up
Housing Ombudsman Service Landlord Performance Report 2022/23
Our Self-Assessment against the Complaint Handling Code
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