Our Annual Complaints Performance 2025-2026

Determinations

There was one Housing Ombudsman determination within the period. The complaint was in relation to reports of overcrowding, damp and mould, cracks in the walls and pest infestation and the following findings were made:

a. the resident’s complaint about the landlord’s handling of his reports of overcrowding is outside our jurisdiction

b. there was maladministration in the landlord’s handling of damp and mould

c. there was no maladministration in the landlord’s handling of cracks in the internal walls

d. there was service failure in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of pest infestations

e. there was no maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s complaint.

Orders were made to apologise to the resident in writing for the failures noted and to pay the resident £400 compensation for the distress and inconvenience caused by our handling of damp and mould and the resident’s report of ants. Both orders were complied with and evidence of compliance provided to the Housing Ombudsman. Aside from the orders, a recommendation was also made that the resident was provided with our liability insurers details for them to make a claim for damaged belongings, should they wish to. These details were provided to the resident by email.

Learning: Since this complaint was brought to our attention we have amended our Damp and Mould Policy to ensure that timescales for damp remediation works, and keeping the resident informed, are in line with those contained in Awaab’s Law. There were access issues to deal with during these works, and typically after three failed attempts a repair job is cancelled, with the resident requested to contact BCH and re-order the works if still required. This is now not the case for works relating to damp and mould jobs. We will continue to try and access the property. If these processes had been in place prior to the complaint, we would no doubt have dealt with the complaint better than we did.

 

Not determined

The Housing Ombudsman declined to investigate one complaint that was regarding our response to the concerns raised around the conduct of a Housing Officer in relation to a historic ASB case. The Housing Ombudsman confirmed that they would not investigate as it was outside their jurisdiction for the following reasons:

• Our scheme rules say we will not investigate complaints if the landlord was not told about the issue within a reasonable time. Normally, this means within 12 months of when it happened.
• This complaint relates to matters from 2018 and 2022, but a complaint was not raised until July 2024, more than 12 months later. The resident knew about the issues at the time, and there is no evidence that he was prevented from complaining sooner. For that reason, we have decided not to investigate the landlord’s response to his concerns about staff conduct.

 

Evidence Requests – Not yet determined

Two Housing Ombudsman evidence requests were received and the information was provided. Determinations on these cases were not made within the period and are still pending. The evidence requests relate to the following complaints:

• A toilet repair
• A shed belonging to a leaseholder and communication issues.

Two initial assessment requests have also been received relating to:

• Noise nuisance and electrical safety complaint due to decorations at a neighbouring property.
• An intermittent issue with hot water.

The Housing Ombudsman completed a check of the Complaint Policy as part of their compliance arrangements and noted some recommendations and requested to meet with Blackpool Council and BCH.

The recommendations were as follows:

1. Reports of anti-social behaviour or breaches of tenancy. The landlord should amend the wording of this exclusion so that it is clear that residents can make a complaint about the landlord’s handling of reports of anti-social behaviour and breaches of tenancy.

2. Insurance claims; these will be handed to relevant services within both BCH and the Council. The landlord should amend the wording of this exclusion, so that it is clear that residents can make a complaint about the landlord’s handling of insurance claims.

3. The landlord must publish Blackpool Coastal Housing’s (BCH) complaint policy on Blackpool Council’s website as it has explained that it has an ALMO arrangement with BCH for handling housing complaints on its behalf. Residents must be able to access the correct complaint policy from the landlord’s website. The landlord should also review its complaint policy and include an explanation in its policy about its managing agent arrangements.

4. The landlord should review section 4 of its policy and remove the part where it says “we will first try to resolve expressions of dissatisfaction as early resolution, outside of this Policy where possible”. The landlord to ensure the wording in section 4 is consistent with it having a two stage complaint process only.

The landlord should also review section 14 of its policy and remove reference to the “Early local resolution” as this is not consistent with the landlord having a two-stage complaint process.

5. The landlord should review section 15 of the policy and amend the wording for escalations to stage 2, it should say “if all or part of the complaint is not resolved to the resident’s satisfaction at stage 1, it must be progressed to stage 2 of the complaint procedure”.

A meeting was held with the Housing Ombudsman and in attendance were Hannah Cassidy, Housing Standards and Compliance Manager at Blackpool Council and Stephen Dunstan, Director of Resources at BCH.

The actions agreed at the meeting are as follows:

• Blackpool Borough Council (“the Council”) agreed to implement all 5 recommendations.

• In respect of Code Provisions 5.4 and 5.5, the landlord clarified that Blackpool Coastal Housing (“BCH”) is the sole ALMO responsible for managing its housing complaints service and Blackpool Housing Company Ltd is not involved in any part of the Council’s complaint process for housing. The Council confirmed that it is happy to make changes to its website and complaint policy to ensure its arrangements with BCH are clear for residents to understand.

• The Council should also publish the most recent version of its complaint policy to the resident portal area.

• The Council should update its self-assessment when it completes its next annual submission (30 September 2026) to reflect the arrangements with BCH.

All 5 recommendations were implemented and the updated policy was provided to the Housing Ombudsman who confirmed compliance.

Within the period, Blackpool Council’s Internal Audit Team conducted an audit on the BCH Complaint policy and process. Below are the recommendations, all of which have been completed.

	Recommendation
1	The requirement to make personal contact should be reflected in the BCH Complaint Policy and Procedure document.
2	Lessons learned from previously closed complaints should factor into the ongoing approach to help maintain the momentum already achieved in ensuring a consistent approach towards complaint handling.
3	Additional narrative regarding the importance of effective complaint handling in line with the requirements of the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code should be included in the BCH Strategic Risk Register.
4	The role of the Complaints Champion should be formally agreed in order to ensure that responsibilities of the role are transparent and understood.
5	Consideration should be given to recording complaint related detail on a tracker so that any identified areas of concern can be drawn to the attention of the Board members effectively. This is particularly important when potential thematic or systemic issues are identified or suspected.

 

Complaint Performance 

Tenants

	2025/2026	2024/2025
Acknowledged within timescale	100%	100%
TSM: Stage 1 Completed within timescale	98.48%	98.79%
% with extension needed	32%	10%

Two responses went out of target by one day and this was due to human error, which has been addressed and further controls put in place around case monitoring.

Leasehold and Private

	2025/2026
Acknowledged within timescale	100%
Stage 1 Completed within timescale	100%

In the period, 88 complaints (53%) were upheld or partially upheld at Stage 1.

The numbers of upheld/partially upheld complaints at Stage 1 which are 50% and over are detailed below:

• Involvement & Communication: 1 (100%*)
• Senior Management Team: 1 (100%*)
• Repairs Hotline: 13 (93%)
• Homeownership: 5 (71%)
• Sheltered Housing: 7 (64%)
• Responsive Repairs: 25 (54%)
• Assets: 6 (55%)

*Based on 1 complaint

The overall escalation rate to Stage 2 is 24%. Areas with escalation rates 50% and over detailed below:

• Homeownership (57%)
• Contractors (55%)
• Compliance (50%)

Complaint Outcomes

A complaint may have more than one recorded outcome.

Stage 1 Outcome	Upheld	Not Upheld	Partially Upheld	Total
Apology Provided	35	3	11	49
Change to Process / Policy / Procedure	4	1	2	7
Compensation Awarded	2	2	0	4
Compromise Reached	0	2	1	3
Disciplinary	2	0	0	2
Discussion with contractor	4	0	0	4
Explanation Provided	6	32	11	49
Monitoring of contract meetings	0	0	1	1
Goodwill Gesture Made	3	1	1	5
Individual / Team Discussion	21	2	10	33
Referral/Support provided	0	1	0	1
Remedial Property Works	3	0	0	3
Remedial Service	3	1	0	4
Repairs Completed	3	1	0	4
Staff Training	2	0	1	3

 

Complaint Performance

Tenants

	2025/2026	2024/2025
Acknowledged within timescale	100%	97.22%
TSM: Stage 2 Completed within timescale	100%	100%
% with extension needed	26%	14%

The TSM for Stage 2 within timescale remains at 100%

The overall cumulative TSM figure for complaints completed within timescale (Stage 1 & Stage 2) is 98.80%

Leasehold and Private – Stage 2

	2025/2026
Acknowledged within timescale	100%
Stage 1 Completed within timescale	100%

 

A total of 27 complaints (57%) were upheld or partially upheld at Stage 2.

For the complaints that escalated to Stage 2, the following had different outcomes at Stage 2 to that at Stage 1:

Service	Stage 1	Stage 2	Detail
Assets	Partially Upheld	Upheld	Complaint about fencing replacement. Delay caused damage to belongings which was acknowledged at Stage 2.
Assets	Not Upheld	Partially Upheld	Complaint was about S20 works. Not upheld at S1 as process had been explained. Partially upheld at Stage 2 as it was identified pointing had not been up to standard and a breakdown of costs had not been supplied when requested.
Repairs	Not Upheld	Upheld	Complaint was about damp & mould. Not upheld at Stage on as it was concluded that D&M had been addressed. Upheld at Stage 2 as it was established that a contractor had conducted a previous inspection and failed to identify the damp and pointing works had not been sufficiently completed.
Voids	Not Upheld	Upheld	Complaint about condition of worktops. Not upheld at Stage 1 as it was considered that they met the Empty Homes Standard. Upheld at Stage 2 as a visit conducted and established that the worktops did not meet the standard.
Repairs	Not Upheld	Partially Upheld	Complaint about delays to flooring being fitted. Not upheld at Stage 1 as it was concluded that BCH had acted reasonably. Partially upheld at Stage 2 as there was a mix up with appointments and the contractor had not made contact within a reasonable time.
Neighbourhoods	Not Upheld	Partially Upheld	Complaint about management of ASB case and the service of a CPW. Not upheld at Stage 1 as the case had been managed in line with policy. Partially upheld at Stage 2 as it was agreed that whilst the CPW had been issued by Blackpool Council, it had been counter signed as served by the Neighbourhood Officer which could be ambiguous.
Repairs	Not Upheld	Partially Upheld	Damp & mould complaint that was not upheld as there was no damp & mould identified. Partially upheld at Stage 2 due to compensation being given for previously damaged items. Stage 2 agreed with Stage 1 regarding not upholding the other elements.

 Complaint Outcomes

Stage 2 Outcome	Upheld	Not Upheld	Partially Upheld	Total
Apology Provided	6	1	9	16
Change to Process / Policy / Procedure	3	0	3	6
Compensation Awarded	4	0	2	6
Compromise Reached	0	1	0	1
Contractor Training	0	0	1	1
Explanation Provided	1	18	5	24
Goodwill Gesture Made	1	1	0	2
Individual / Team Discussion	2	0	4	6
Mediation Offered	0	0	1	1
Referral/Support provided	0	1	0	1
Remedial Service	0	1	0	1

 

The following outlines key learning and improvement outcomes from complaints:

Adaptations:

• A written procedure and standard documentation for customers wishing to use their own contractor has been produced.
• Complaint learning fed back at Team Meeting and process changed in relation to assessment recommendations and customer communication
• Common fault found with certain component and a fix was applied by the manufacturer and this has been shared with contractors to prevent the issue reoccurring.

Assets:

• Guidance issued to contractor regarding conducting checks on ownership of sheds or outbuildings should they need to store materials.
• Contractor spoken to reiterate they should check tenancy/person alerts when arranging appointments with customers.
• Process changed to ensure that resident circumstances and vulnerabilities are taken into account when making decisions around fencing

Corporate:

• Staff communications and guidance produced for staff involved in collecting Profiling Data the data to ensure that the reasons we are asking for the information and the options of ‘prefer not to say’ continue to be explained.

Lettings:

• All Lettings Officers completed Equality and Diversity Training.
• Process for pursuing recharges reviewed and changed to ensure it is more structured.

Neighbourhoods:

• Process for reviewing risk markers reviewed and amended, with expiry dates checked.
• Customer leaflet developed to provide information on our stock and transfer process.
• Review of the Neighbourhood section of the website in relation to pets and pet permissions.
• Discussion with individuals and teams around checking communication needs and following preferences. This has also been followed up with all staff communications around keeping customer information up to date and checking for communication needs or vulnerabilities.
• Staff discussion to reiterate our response time to reports of hate crime.

Rents

• Process for serving notices reviewed and amended.
• Staff communications arranged to reiterate the Advocacy Policy
• Updates to the information available to customers regarding service charges and why they are charged.
• Individual discussion around checking account information
• Staff training arranged

Repairs and Hotline:

• Process reviewed and amended for re-inspection reminders when elements need to dry out.
• Going forward a note will be added to situations such as this to remind Inspectors to re-attend.
• Process developed to ensure if numerous repairs to the same element are undertaken that this is flagged to look into further.
• Process developed for recharge disputes to be reviewed by a Repairs Manager and Recharges Policy is in development.
• Discussion with staff regarding communication expectations
• Discussion and reiterated the process regarding raising jobs and detailing notes
• Standards and behaviour expectations reiterated and monitored
• Process regarding scaffolding and customer contact discussed and reiterated to contractor and monitored at contact meetings
• Additional Repairs Inspector resource sourced to support with post inspections
• Several team and individual discussions to address communication with the focus on keeping customers informed.
• Communication to Repair Operatives about parking considerately.

Sheltered Housing:

• Sheltered Housing Handbook reviewed to advise about the role of the Sheltered Housing Officer to clear properties, however they can offer advice and support to access services that can assist individuals with this.
• Review and reminder of record keeping with contractor.
• Several team and individual discussions around communication and standards and staff training arranged.

Voids:

• Discussion with inspectors and guidance given around checking items in properties.
• Photographs of empty properties to be reviewed before recharges are raised.

Upon complaint closure, a satisfaction survey is sent to all customers. In the period 38 surveys were received.

• 87% of respondents found it very or fairly easy to make a complaint.

• 82% of respondents agreed that the information provided was clear and concise. Of two respondents who strongly disagreed, one gave no information and the other was unhappy as they stated they had not been invited to a meeting. The one respondent who disagreed said they found the explanation to be unsatisfactory but overall were very satisfied with the complaint handling and noted that the problem was solved within 24 hours.

• 66% of respondents were satisfied with how their complaint was handled overall and 26% were dissatisfied.
  
  Of the 10 customers who were dissatisfied with the overall outcome of their complaint, 7 (70%) said they had not received a personal contact at Stage 1.
  
  Of the 25 customers who were satisfied or very satisfied, 21 (84%) had received a personal contact at Stage 1.

This suggests that satisfaction rates are higher when a personal contact has been made.

Learning outcome: The requirement for Investigating Managers to make personal contact at Stage 1 has been added to the Complaint Policy. In agreement with the Customer Complaint Panel, we are also making this requirement a service standard and it will be monitored by Heads of Service and Directors.

A draft of this report was shared and discussed with the Customer Complaint Panel on 15th April. The Panel noted assurance with complaint performance but recommended that Stage 2 escalation rate is monitored due to the increase in this. They requested a breakdown of root cause data into service area so that any trends or concerns can be picked up, particularly with poor communication and human error. The Complaint Panel would like the Board to note this. The Panel meet quarterly and also review examples of Stage 1 and Stage 2 responses to check for quality, clear explanations, resolutions offered, empathy and tone.

Quarterly meetings are held between the Board Complaint Champion and the Involvement & Communications Manager where updates are provided around performance, trends, risks and any areas of concern.

This report has been circulated to the Board Complaint Champion for approval and shared with BCH’s Senior Management Team.

Quarterly meetings are also held with the Member Responsible for Complaints, where they will seek assurance on behalf of the governing body, Blackpool Council that BCH is delivering on an effective complaint handling process.