Social Housing Issue?
Know how to complain

Everyone deserves a safe and secure home. If you live in social housing, you can sometimes have problems with your home. You may even have sleepless nights about the issue. Knowing how to complain is the key to making things right.

If you or somebody you know lives in social housing, your landlord is your first point of contact to deal with your issue. They are responsible for fixing issues including damp and mould, broken locks, or changes you need to your home if you are disabled. They can also help with anti-social behaviour, like noisy neighbours.

There are three steps to complaining. By following them, you have the best chance of getting your problem fixed.

Get help with any of the steps below by getting in touch with Citizens Advice Southwark

Issues could include:

  • mould or damp
  • poor insulation
  • broken doors or windows
  • leaking pipes
  • other repairs
  • anti-social behaviour
  • access problems
  • poor service from a landlord.

Have your complaint heard – 3 Steps

Step 1 : Report it to your landlord

First, report the issue to your landlord. This is who you pay your rent to – it could be your local council or a housing association. Most landlords will have a website with a report form to fill in.

If not, you can still report your issue using their email or phone number.

Be reassured, landlords are there to deal with your problem, so always report it.

Step 2 : Complain to your landlord

If you’ve reported an issue and you feel it’s not properly sorted, complain to your landlord. Remember, you have a right to complain if you’re not happy. Your landlord will explain how to complain on their website.

When you make a complaint to your landlord about a problem that has not been fixed, they are legally required to respond to issues fairly and effectively. Your landlord should explain the complaints process and how long it will take. Landlords must take your complaint seriously and cannot punish you in any way for raising a problem or making a complaint.

Landlords have 2 stages to their complaints process:

Stage 1: They must get back to you within 10 working days from the day you logged your complaint.

Stage 2. If your complaint still hasn’t been resolved, it can go to stage 2. Landlords must respond within 20 working days. They will send you a final response, which may explain how they plan to fix things.

Step 3 : Escalate to the Housing Ombudsman

If you’re still not happy with what your landlord says in their final response to a complaint, you can tell the Housing Ombudsman.

The Housing Ombudsman looks into complaints about social housing and landlords.

They are free to use and investigate fairly. They will look into your problem.

If the Housing Ombudsman tells your landlord they’ve made a mistake, the landlord must show they have a plan to fix things within 6-8 weeks.

Last year, the Housing Ombudsman ordered landlords to pay over £6m to people who had problems in their homes. You can get in contact with the Housing Ombudsman via:

Remember, follow the 3-step process and know your rights.

If you need help with this please get in touch

You can find out more at gov.uk/social-housing