When Should You Make a Formal Complaint About Housing Repairs?
If you have reported a repair but the problem is still not being resolved, you may want to make a formal complaint.
A complaint may be appropriate if appointments are repeatedly cancelled, you are not receiving clear updates, repair timescales keep changing or you are repeatedly told that someone will contact you but nothing happens.
A formal complaint is different from simply reporting the repair again.
It tells your landlord that you are dissatisfied with how the repair or the service you have received is being handled.
What Should You Include in a Housing Repair Complaint?
Explain What the Repair Problem Is
Describe the problem clearly and explain which part of your home is affected.
If there is more than one repair issue, list each problem separately.
Explain When You First Reported It
Give the date you first reported the repair if you know it.
If you cannot remember the exact date, provide the approximate date and include any repair reference numbers you still have.
Explain What Has Happened Since
You do not need to describe every telephone conversation in extreme detail.
Focus on the important events and put them in date order where possible.
Explain How the Problem Is Affecting You
Explain how the unresolved repair is affecting the normal use of your home or your household.
Keep the explanation factual and clear.
Explain What You Want Your Landlord to Do
Tell your landlord what outcome you are asking for.
For example, you may want the outstanding repair investigated, a clear repair plan, an explanation for the delay or confirmation of when work will be completed.
A Simple Housing Repair Complaint Template
You can use the following wording as a starting point:
Subject: Formal Complaint About Outstanding Housing Repairs
“I am writing to make a formal complaint about outstanding repairs at my home.
I first reported [briefly explain the repair problem] on or around [date]. The problem affects [explain the room or area affected].
Since reporting the repair, [briefly explain what has happened, including appointments, visits or delays].
The repair remains unresolved and is affecting my household because [briefly explain the impact].
Please treat this as a formal complaint and confirm that it has been logged under your complaints procedure. I would like you to investigate the outstanding repair, explain what action will now be taken and confirm the next steps in writing.
Please also provide me with the complaint reference number.”
Adapt the wording so it accurately reflects what has happened in your home.
Do not include information that is untrue or exaggerate the condition of your property. A clear and accurate complaint is more useful than an angry twenty-page email.
Should You Keep Records of Missed Repair Appointments?
If an appointment is cancelled or a contractor does not attend, make a note of the date.
Keep any messages confirming the appointment or cancellation.
You may also want to record:
The date and approximate time of the appointment
Whether you were at home
Whether the landlord or contractor contacted you
Any new appointment you were given
Whether the repair was completed or remains outstanding
Clear records can become important where there is disagreement about the history of a repair. The Housing Ombudsman’s casework and guidance repeatedly highlight the importance of repair records and information management.
How Long Should a Social Landlord in England Take to Respond to a Complaint?
For council and housing association landlords covered by the Housing Ombudsman’s statutory Complaint Handling Code, complaints must follow a two-stage process.
At stage 1, the landlord must acknowledge the complaint within 5 working days of receiving it and provide a written response within 10 working days of acknowledgement.
At stage 2, the landlord must acknowledge an escalation request within 5 working days and provide a written response within 20 working days of acknowledgement.
The Code allows limited extensions, but the landlord must explain the reason and provide a date for its response.
Keep the complaint acknowledgement and written response you receive.
What If You Are Unhappy With the Complaint Response?
Read the response carefully and compare it with the issues you raised.
Ask yourself:
Has the landlord addressed each repair problem?
Has it explained what went wrong?
Has it provided clear next steps?
Has it given a repair timescale?
Has it explained how to escalate the complaint?
For social housing complaints in England, the landlord’s complaints procedure should have two stages. If the matter remains unresolved after the landlord’s process, the Housing Ombudsman can consider complaints about landlords within its scheme.
Do not assume that receiving a complaint response means the repair itself has been completed. Continue keeping a record until the repair problem is actually resolved.
What About Housing Complaints in Wales?
The complaint and escalation route is different in Wales.
Welsh Government guidance says tenants with a problem involving a council or housing association home should first speak to the landlord, then make a formal complaint following the landlord’s complaints procedure.
If the tenant remains unhappy, they may be able to ask the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales to look into the complaint.
Check the complaints procedure published by your landlord and keep copies of every complaint response you receive.