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We aim to provide good-quality, cost-effective services but recognise that, at times, things can go wrong. If they do, we need to know so we can put them right and learn from them.

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about the quality of service, however it's made. It can be about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by our employees or our contractors. The complaint issue can affect an individual resident or group of residents.

The word ‘complaint’ does not have to be used for a complaint to be identified and treated as one.

Below we explain the procedures available to you if you consider that we have failed:

• to provide a service
• to be courteous
• in our standard of work
• in our administration of procedures
• to adhere to our rules or regulations
• to provide you with correct information
• to treat you fairly and promptly

There are several different stages to complaints - the first is to see if your issue can be resolved informally. If things can't be resolved informally you can submit a formal stage one complaint. If you still feel your complaint hasn't been resolved at stage one, you can then move your complaint to stage two.

Informal resolutions

Usually, the best way to sort out a problem is by raising the issue with the person you have been dealing with or their immediate line manager.  At this stage, we think those people who deliver the service are best placed to resolve an issue. We can usually sort out mistakes and misunderstandings quickly and informally at this stage.

If you haven't been able to resolve your complaint at the informal stage or via the standard repairs feedback process then you can raise a formal complaint. Formal complaints come in two stages:

Stage one

There are a few ways to raise a formal complaint.

• The quickest and easiest way is to fill in our online complaints form.
• You can also request a printed copy of the complaints form by calling 01962 840 222.
• You can make a complaint directly to a council officer
• In writing to Winchester City Council, Colebrook Street, Winchester, Hants, SO23 9LJ

Once you have submitted your complaint you'll receive a reference number. We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days, then investigate and respond within ten working days.

Stage two

If you feel your complaint hasn't been resolved at stage one, you can contact the Chief Executive Office at complaints@winchester.gov.uk with the reference number you were given at stage one. From there, you'll receive a response within twenty working days.

Contacting the Housing Ombudsman

If you have been through all stages of our complaints procedure and feel your complaint has still not been resolved, you can ask the Housing Ombudsman to review your complaint. You can read more about the Housing Ombudsman - and find out how to make a complaint through it - in the section below.

As soon as court action is indicated, threatened or initiated, the we will suspend our response to a complaint until a legal process commences or a decision is determined.

The Housing Ombudsman makes the final decision on disputes between residents and member landlords. Ombudsman decisions are independent, impartial and fair - and the service is free to use.

The Housing Ombudsman service is there throughout the lifetime of your complaint and if you feel you need further help and guidance on your complaint, and is free to use.

The Housing Ombudsman will support complaint resolutions between you and us, and will formally investigate a complaint. We will co-operate fully with all requests from the Housing ombudsman to support them in their findings and comply with the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code.

The Housing Ombudsman Service aims to provide a fair and effective way of dealing with complaints against member landlords from their tenants. The service will try to remedy the situation by either asking the landlord to change their way of working or offering financial redress.

If you have been through all stages of the complaints procedure and remain dissatisfied with the response or at any stage you feel we have not handled your complaint in line with our policy, you can ask the Housing Ombudsman and they may be able to investigate how we dealt with the matter.

You can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service by:

• Filling out an online complaint form: 
• Calling the service on 0300 111 3000
• Writing to: Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 1484, Unit D, Preston, PR2 0ET

The Housing Ombudsman launched The Complaint Handling Code in July 2020, and a further update in April 2022, which will hopefully result in best practice in complaint handling and ultimately better services for our residents.

Following the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, the Housing Ombudsman’s Code will become statutory from 1st April 2024, providing a single, robust set of standards for complaints procedures to be accessible, fair, and efficient.

There will be a legal duty placed on the ombudsman to monitor compliance with the code, regardless of whether it receives individual complaints from residents about a landlord. For the first time, this means landlords will need to submit their self-assessment annually to the ombudsman at the same time as their Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs).  We will need to submit this by the 30 June 2024. Compliance in policy with the Complaint Handling Code is required by 1 April 2024, and publish this on our website

This statutory code promotes a positive complaints culture across the social housing sector and ensures residents do not experience a postcode lottery in complaint handling.   We see the release of this code as an opportunity to reflect on our complaint handling and to make improvements where necessary to deliver better services to residents.

You can access the Complaints Handling Code on the Housing Ombudsman website.

The Housing Ombudsman website also contains a useful short video on making a complaint about council housing.

The Housing Ombudsman are a free and impartial dispute resolution service that investigates complaints from residents and leaseholders of member landlords (housing associations and local authorities), as well as for our voluntary members (private landlords and letting agents).

Their vision is to improve residents’ lives and landlords’ services through housing complaints.

We publish regular reports on our performance as well as completing self-assessments against the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code. You can find the latest report and self assessment, as well as the council's response, below. You can find previous complaints performance reports and Housing Ombudsman self assessments at the top of this page.

Let us know about your experience with our complaints process

We aim to offer a good customer experience and a good standard of service at all times. If you have recently made a complaint to the Housing Team we would like to know about your experience.   As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we ask our customers to complete a short survey, to tell us if the handling of their complaint was completed to their satisfaction and help us to improve our services.

If you would like to be involved in working with us to improve services and help us learn from complaints, contact our Tenant Involvement team by emailing tenantpartnership@winchester.gov.uk or calling 0800 716 987.

Since our complaints self-assessment submission in September 2025, we have been working to prioritise actions from our complaint’s improvement plan. These include:

• Reviewing our complaints policy and procedure which is underway working with tenants through the policy co-creation group to review these documents
• Delivering complaints training to housing staff to enable all staff to understand their role in complaints
• Working with our TACT Board to understand what complaints performance information is important to them to enable effective scrutiny of complaints handling
• Reviewing and identifying opportunities to improve the complaints journey for tenants

We still have more work to do including:

• Embedding a robust way to capture, track and monitor learning and outcomes from complaints to drive service improvements
• Share learning from complaints through case studies
• Using complaints data and learning to inform process changes
• working with our complaints focus group and tenants who attend our Housing Improvement workshops to identify improvements
• Improving our communication to ensure a customer centric approach through service delivery and via the complaints process

 

The ‘Make Things Right’ campaign aims to ensure more social housing residents who need support know how to make a complaint.

The Government has set out a Charter for Social Housing Providers including expectations in the way that complaints are handled. More information about the Charter and guidance for customers can be found in the Social Housing Complaints Campaign.

If you have any particular needs which affect how you are able to use or be involved in our services or how you would like to receive information for example translation, interpreters, Braille, audio tape, large print, or sign language - please contact the Customer Service Centre either by:
Phone: 01962 840 222
Email: customerservice@winchester.gov.uk

For more information, you can read our Accessibility Statement. 

A Complaints Focus Group has been established to improve the complaints handling process.

• The group works closely with officers to ensure the process is transparent and accessible.
• It provides valuable feedback to help shape and refine the complaints procedure.
• The group supports the annual assessment for the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaints Handling Code.
• This work helps the organization meet best practice standards and strengthen accountability.

If you would like to be a part of this group, please email tenantpartniship@winchester.gov.uk