Rise in complaints shows people care
There is one important point worth mentioning further to your report of the increasing number of complaints made to the housing ombudsman (Inside Housing, 16 July).
SIGN IN TO ACCESS THIS CONTENT
You've reached your monthly limit for unrestricted access to Inside Housing content. To get free unrestricted access simply sign in below, or register your details.
Sign In
If you are already registered sign in for unrestricted access to alll the content on the site.
Anecdotal evidence indicates that while in the past many tenants didn’t think it was worth complaining about their homes because they felt nothing much would happen as a result, tenants now say that landlords pay a lot more attention to complaints - and therefore they find, to varying degrees, that their efforts are not wasted. Even when the landlords may not be able to resolve disputes directly, tenants can go to the ombudsman for help.
Despite the large volume of work, the operational changes we carried out to deal with the larger volume paid dividends and our performance stood up to the challenge.
The message to landlords that improving complaint-handling is good for their tenants, and therefore for their organisations, needs to be emphasised. More complaints is not necessarily a sign of a failing sector; it can also show that tenants care and landlords listen.
Rafael Runco, deputy ombudsman, Housing Ombudsman Service