A complaint is when you are not satisfied with a service we have provided and want us to put things right.
A complaint is different from reporting a problem, such as requesting a repair or reporting antisocial behaviour.
You should contact the relevant service first before making a complaint.
We welcome complaints as an opportunity to improve our services. We handle complaints fairly, consistently and in line with the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code.
You can view our make a complaint about our council housing service, for guidance about:
- complaints we can and cannot deal with
- who can make a housing complaint
- how to make a housing complaint
Housing complaints performance from 2024 to 2025
Housing complaints are handled in 2 stages:
- Stage 1: a manager investigates and responds
- Stage 2: a different manager reviews the response and provides a final decision
If you are not satisfied with our final response, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman to review your complaint.
We received more housing complaints in 2024 to 2025 than in the previous year:
- Stage 1 complaints increased to 21.7 per 1,000 homes (up from 17.8)
- Stage 2 complaints increased to 8.7 per 1,000 homes (up from 3.8)
This may reflect increased demand for services and greater awareness of how to make a complaint.
We have improved how quickly we respond to complaints:
- 84.3% of Stage 1 complaints were responded to within target timescales (up from 64.4%)
- 100% of Stage 2 complaints were responded to within target timescales (up from 27.3%)
This shows significant improvement in how we manage complaints and meet Ombudsman expectations.
You can view or download the 2024 to 2025 reports.
What complaints were about
The most common complaint themes were:
- property condition: including repairs, maintenance issues and quality of work
- staff and contractor conduct: for example communication, delays and how services are delivered
Other complaint areas included:
- antisocial behaviour (ASB) handling
- estate management
- health and safety
- housing applications and tenancy matters
Many complaints relate to delays or communication issues rather than serious service failure.
We review complaint themes regularly to identify patterns and make improvements. This helps us prioritise areas where change is needed most.
Ombudsman outcomes
We’re a member of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme. As a registered social housing provider, we check our performance each year against their Complaint Handling Code.
Our performance checks are carried out every year and submitted to the Housing Ombudsman.
In 2024 to 2025, the Housing Ombudsman made the following findings about our service:
- 7 determinations were issued
- 3 findings of maladministration (where our service did not meet expected standards)
- 3 findings of service failure
- 2 findings of no maladministration
- 1 additional fault finding
The Ombudsman made orders including:
- compensation payments
- apologies
- required repairs
- staff and contractor training
- service and policy reviews
Total compensation ordered was £2,769.56
We have completed all required actions and are using these findings to improve our services.
For more information, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman.
How we monitor complaints performance
We regularly review complaints and performance data to make sure services are improving.
This includes oversight by:
- senior housing managers
- corporate leadership teams
- internal performance monitoring processes
This helps ensure complaints are handled fairly and that learning leads to service improvements.
What we have improved
We have made a number of changes in response to complaints.
In 2024 to 2025 we:
improved complaint response times, including meeting Stage 2 timescales
- introduced updated complaint processes in line with the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code
- delivered training to housing staff on complaint handling and communication
- increased monitoring of complaints and performance data
In progress
In 2024 to 2025 we are:
- recruiting a Housing Complaints and Insights Officer to improve oversight and learning
- reviewing policies, including antisocial behaviour, domestic abuse and housing services
- strengthening contractor management and performance monitoring
- improving how we communicate with tenants during service delivery
Planned
We are working on:
-
improving the housing complaints webpages and online complaint form
- introducing surveys to better understand tenant experience of complaints
- continuing staff training on communication and complaint handling
These changes mean tenants should:
- receive faster responses to complaints
- have clearer communication throughout the process
- see more consistent service delivery
- experience improvements based on feedback
Housing complaints 2024 to 2025 reports
We have introduced an annual report which highlights housing complaint trends and areas for improvement. Further improvements will be introduced in the coming year.
You can view or download PDFs of our 2024 to 2025 reports:
Housing complaints performance from 2023 to 2024
This was approved by our Corporate Leadership Team on 17 June 2024.
The team has issued a response to support the publication and the associated improvement works taking place to remain compliant.
You can view or download the 2023 to 2024 reports.
Contact us about our housing complaint performance
If you have any questions about our housing complaint performance, you can contact us.
Email: housingcomplaints@woking.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 373 0373 (select option 4)