1. INTRODUCTION

Grove Housing Association aims to provide a quality service, but we recognise that there may be occasions when it falls short of what our customers should expect. The complaints procedure should allow your complaints to be addressed and helps us improve our service.

2. WHAT IS A COMPLAINT?

We want to distinguish between informal complaints or requests and those where we should apply our formal complaints procedure.

Informal complaints or requests
These would include such things as asking for a repair to be carried out or reminding us that it had been done. Normally we would just discuss it with you informally, take a note of the matter and take appropriate action.

Formal complaints
These will be complaints about our standard of service or decisions we have made where you want a formal assessment and normally a written response.

Neighbour nuisance and anti-social behaviour
This will be dealt with under separate procedures for these problems as they are complaints about the behaviour of other people, not our service. If however you consider that we are not taking appropriate action, you may make a formal complaint about the standard of service we are providing.

3. FORMAL COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Stage 1 tell us about your complaint
It is helpful if you will tell us about your complaint in writing and we have a form that you may find useful for this. You may also report your complaint verbally by phone, at our office or we can call at your home. Bring a friend or advocate if that would help. Our contact details are as follows:

Grove Housing Association, 171 York Road, Belfast BT15 3HB
Telephone: 028 9077 3330
Email: info@groveha.org.uk
Fax: 028 9077 6661
Your complaint will be logged into the complaints book and a file opened.

Stage 2 Action by the relevant staff member
The appropriate staff member for the complaint will investigate the matter and respond in writing or other means if that suits you better, within 5 working days. If it is going to take longer than this to investigate, this initial response will acknowledge the complaint and let you know when a full response to your complaint can be given.

Stage 3. Review by the general Manager
If you are not satisfied with the response you have received, please let us know and the matter will be reviewed by the General Manager and a reply sent within 10 working days.

Stage 4. Review by the Management Committee
If you are not satisfied with the General Manager’s response, again please let us know and the matter will be referred to the Management Committee. This normally meets monthly, so the review would not be more than a month away. If it is going to be longer, the General Manager will discuss the complaint to the Management Committee in person, we will try to arrange this as part of a Committee Meeting agenda. You are welcome to bring someone with you.

Stage 5. Review by the Commissioner for Complaints
Tenants have a right to bring complaints about the Association to the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints (Ombudsman). The Ombudsman normally expects a tenant to have used the Association’s internal complaints procedure before bringing a complaint to his office.
Contact details are as follows:
• For letters: The Ombudsman, Freepost BEL 1478,
Belfast BT1 6BR
• Visiting office: The Ombudsman’s Office, Progressive House 33 Wellington Place, Belfast
Opening hours: 9.30 – 4.00pm
• Telephone: 0800 34 34 34 (Freephone)
028 9023 3821(Switchboard)
• Fax: 028 9023 4912
• Email: ombudsman@ni-ombudsman.org.uk

Download Complaints Form (PDF Format)