8. Service improvements & complaints
Here are some compliments we received
“I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am and just how much your team has gone out of their way, and I will never be able to thank you enough for just how much they are doing for me and how they have helped a total stranger who moved into their country, it’s just unbelievable and incredible”
“I’d like to give a compliment/comment regarding one of your staff; my comment is around their dedication, professionalism and timely response in an issue I had when selling my leasehold flat. They went above and beyond in a timely manner to ensure everything I needed was completed so I could progress my sale, without his input I may well have lost my buyer. He is an absolute credit to ECC. Thank you”
“I wanted to say how well first class did on my wet room adaptation they had been done for me they were Professional courteous and clean...Used it for the first time yesterday it’s made life so much easier”
“Thank you so very much for the chat yesterday and what you have done for me and my family on behalf of Exeter City Council. I send nothing but high hopes & appraisals upon you with the most gratitude.... Thank you again for what you do for the council and the community.”
At a glance....
- The number of complaints received in Housing has reduced to 131 (down from 141 in 2020- 21 and 216 in 2019-20)
- The average response time is 12.8 days (down from 14 in 2020-21)
- We have completed a Survey of Tenants and Residents (STAR)
Service Improvements Highlights
Here are some of the service improvement achievements. In 2021/2022 we:
- Implemented a new Open Housing computer system
- Became compliant with new Housing Ombudsman: Complaint Handling Code
- Improved our internal satisfaction surveys
- Updated our Housing Complaints policies and procedures
- Used Housing Ombudsman guidance to improve our complaint responses
- Reviewed the impact of complaints on the Housing Service
Tell us about your complaint
Stage One Complaint
We will investigate and respond in 10 days
Stage Two Complaint
We will investigate and respond in 20 days
What next?
Housing Ombudsman Service (housing-ombudsman.org.uk 0300 111 3000)
Useful contact details:
01392 265759
Housing Complaints, Exeter City Council, Civic Centre, Paris Street,
Exeter, EX1 1JN
Service improvements
Housing Ombudsman Service
The Housing Ombudsman Service has introduced and updated their Complaint Handling Code, setting out a number of requirements for housing organisations to meet. We are currently reviewing the changes from the recent update with a view to implement any necessary changes before October 2022. We are now publishing our performance data as required by the Code and are completing and publishing annual self-assessments to ensure compliance with the update. The expectations from our complaints service are higher than ever before and any cases with severe maladministration findings are published by the Housing Ombudsman Service on their website.
Social Housing White Paper
The Social Housing White Paper sets out how we will ensure social housing residents have the experience we expect for them. It contains a number of proposals, but ultimately it’s about a culture shift to improve relationships between tenants and landlords, and to improve the quality of homes and the tenants’ experience. This is good news for tenants and the social housing sector as a whole. Exeter City Council have commenced our ‘Regulation Ready Project’, setting out to ensure we are ready for the new legislation and the changes that are soon to be implemented.
Council Housing and Development Advisory Board
The Council Housing and Development Advisory Board was established in 2021 and is comprised of Councillors, Council Officers, industry experts, and a tenant representative.
The group meets quarterly to review the challenges facing Exeter City Council’s landlord services, with members sharing their advice and support to ensure the best service is provided.
To make sure there is enough time to review all important topics at Board meetings, a Performance Group is being set up. The Performance Group will comprise a number of Board members and will focus on performance, cost and customer satisfaction. The Group will review a wide variety of performance data and will compare us to similar organisations in order to identify areas that could be improved.