Making a Complaint – Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I make a complaint to Beyond Housing?
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You can raise a complaint in whichever method you feel most comfortable, including:
- By form
- Email customer.feedback@beyondhousing.co.uk
- Letter – Customer Feedback team, Beyond Housing, PO Box 138, Blyth, NE24 9FL
- In person at any Beyond Housing office
- By telephone – 0345 065 5656
- Social media private messaging.
- How long will my complaint take?
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We prioritise resolving concerns quickly and efficiently. This means getting your issue addressed early, before it becomes more complex. By working together to find a solution within our procedures, we can save you time and frustration, and ensure a smoother experience for everyone.
In line with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code, we aim to respond to stage 1 complaints within 10 working days and stage 2 complaints within 20 working days.
Where this is not possible, for example, the case is complex, we will contact you to request and agree on an extended response date with you.
- What can I do if I am unhappy with my stage 1 complaint response?
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If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of stage 1, you just need to let us know within 28 days and we will automatically move it to stage 2 for you.
- Can my complaint be handled as a stage 2 from the beginning?
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No. In line with the policy, all complaints must start at stage 1, and if you remain unhappy with our response, it will be escalated to stage 2 where a senior manager will review the case.
- Can I withdraw my complaint?
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Yes of course. If you are happy with subsequent actions taken, following making your complaint, you can withdraw your complaint by emailing customer.feedback@beyondhousing.co.uk or write to us at Customer Feedback team, Beyond Housing, PO Box 138, Blyth, NE24 9FL.
- Will you compensate me if you uphold my complaint?
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We strive to deliver exceptional service every time, but we understand that sometimes things might fall short of your expectations. If that happens, we’re committed to resolving the issue quickly and fairly. Depending on the nature of the complaint, we may also offer compensation to those who have received a poor standard of service. These are for:
- Time – A loss of services or part of the home (essential only i.e. not storage space, etc) e.g. delays in providing a service i.e. repair, unreasonable time to resolve a situation
- Distress and inconvenience – Where impact has occurred to an individual as a result of a service failure
- Complaint handling failures – Failure to respond to a customer complaint within published timescales and/or inform customers
- Quantifiable loss – A minimal material loss as a direct result of maladministration and/or service failure.
Where it is found that there is no avoidable loss or sustained level of impact to an individual will offer an apology. An apology can be made in writing or in person to the complainant.
- Who will handle my complaint?
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Complaints are handled by the service area the complaint is about. For a stage 1 case, a manager will be the case handler, if it is a stage 2 case, a senior manager will handle the case.
- What if my complaint is about a number of different things?
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When a complaint is about multiple service areas, we will allocate a manager who will collaborate with other managers in the business to provide a full response.
- How will you communicate with me about my complaint?
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We will acknowledge your stage 1 complaint within two working days and give you the name of the appointed manager looking after your case.
The case manager will contact you to discuss your complaint by telephone, email, or a home visit – depending on the nature of the issue.
We aim to resolve all complaints within ten working days or less, if we are unable to do this, the case manager will agree a new date with you and how often you will be updated.
- Why are you closing my complaint when all the work has not been completed?
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The Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code requires us to send you the answer to your complaint when it is known and not when the outstanding actions are completed. Remaining actions will be tracked and actioned by the case manager promptly with regular updates provided to you.