Complaints

You can make a complaint to any bpha colleague, either in person, or through any of our contact methods.

Please tell us what the problem is in as much detail as possible, and when it started.

It would be helpful if you could tell us the names of any bpha colleagues that you have already spoken to about this, or that might be involved in your complaint. Let us know what you think would fix the issue and we will try to solve your complaint as quickly as possible.

If you’re not satisfied with the response that you receive, you can ask for us to take another look – this is called a stage two complaint. You should do this within 20 working days of receiving our stage one response, and it helps if you tell us where you feel we have failed.

Once you ask for the complaint to the be escalated: We will confirm your request within five working days. You will be given the name of the colleague who will review your complaint and its investigation. Within 20 working days from when we acknowledged your stage two complaint, we will send you a letter explaining our findings.

If you are not happy with our final decision, or you feel we haven’t responded to your complaint, you can ask the Housing Ombudsman Service to investigate. This must be done within 12 months of our final letter. This letter will include the steps you need to take to do this.

Alternatively, you can contact a designated person who may be able to recommend other ways for it to be resolved. A designated person is:

• A Member of Parliament
• Your local Councillor
• A recognised resident panel.

The designated person may decide to pass the issue directly to the Housing Ombudsman.

We follow the guidance of the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code. The Housing Ombudsman is an independent ‘referee’ for complaints about registered landlords. It means a set, transparent process and timeline so you know what’s happening and when, with clear options if you’re not satisfied with the outcome.

The Housing Ombudsman prefers customers to follow the complaints process with their landlord before opening a formal case with them. However, you may contact them for advice at any point during the process:

Online: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
Telephone: 0300 111 3000
Email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
Post: Housing Ombudsman Service,
PO Box 1484, Unit D, Preston, PR2 0ET.

It is important to us to manage your complaints correctly. The Ombudsman expects that we follow their code and we report on how we are doing.

• You can read our annual complaints and service improvement report here
• You can see our annual landlord report and our self-assessment report from the Housing Ombudsman here
• You can also find some of the service improvements we have made as a result of your feedback from complaints, satisfaction and other engagements here.

The Housing Ombudsman has now started publishing all decisions on cases it has investigated. Click here for more information.

You can get advice and information from the following organisations:

• Citizens Advice
• Leasehold advisory service: First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)
• The Financial Ombudsman Service
• The Property Ombudsman
• The New Homes Ombudsman Service