Complaints, Compliments and Comments

What is a complaint

A complaint is:

An expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the organisation, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents.

A complaint is not:

• An initial request for service - This is a request from a customer to us requiring action to be taken to put something right. (Service requests can become complaints if we fail to deal with the initial request appropriately.)
• A service that Platform do not provide
• Customer survey feedback
• An information request
• Chasing up of defects within the first twelve months for new build properties, complaint investigations would only be undertaken to look at the way the requests had been handled
• Request for clarification of a situation and/ or policy or procedures
• Any issue that is subject to legal proceedings
• Insurance claims or issues that will be subject to an insurance claim
• Complaints where the issues have not previously been brought to our attention and are more than 12 months old
• Previous complaints that have already been investigated and determined.

What happens when we receive your complaint.

Formal Complaint Investigation

Investigation by an Officer that has not previously been involved in the case.

• All Formal Complaints will be acknowledged by the Customer Experience Team within five working days following receipt of the complaints.
• All complaint investigations will involve us making contact with you, either by telephone, e-mail, or in person.
• We aim to have completed our investigations into your complaint within 10 working days. However, we want to ensure that your complaint is thoroughly investigated and understand that some complaints are more complex and may need more time to investigate.
• If we need more time, we will make sure this is agreed with you and that we will keep in regular contact.

Final Review – Review by Senior Manager

If you want your complaint to be escalated to Final Review then please come back to us within 15 working days to let us know what part of your complaint remains unresolved. 

Where other matters are introduced, these will be dealt with separately and the current complaint will be deemed as resolved. 

On receipt of all Final Review requests, the Customer Experience Team will send you an acknowledgement within five working days following receipt to confirm: 

• The name of the person who is dealing with the complaint (Senior Investigating Officer) 
• The process that will be followed 
• The timescales for investigation 

On acceptance of a Final Review request, a Senior Manager or a member of the Customer Experience Management Team will review the complaint and will make personal contact with you. They will aim to respond in writing within 20 working days. Some complaints are more complex and may need more time, we will make sure that we discuss this with you and keep in regular contact. 

If you feel that your complaint remains unresolved 

Following completion of our internal procedure you can refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service by calling 0300 111 3000 or by email info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk

Annual Submissions

We have completed an annual self-assessment against the code since it was introduced in 2020. We now need to submit this to the Housing Ombudsman Service at the end of September each year. Alongside our self-assessment against the code we also need to complete an Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement report, both documents can be found below:

Self Assessment September 2026

Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report 2025 – 2026 

Governing Body Response - Annual Complaints and Service Improvement Report 2025/2026

At Platform, our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We want to provide a housing experience that makes people feel heard, supported and proud of their home and community.

We know that we don’t always get things right first time. When that happens, complaints give customers a voice and give us the opportunity to listen, learn and put things right.

Our dedicated Customer Experience Team oversees the complaints process, helping to make sure every complaint is handled fairly, professionally and within the right timescales. Just as importantly, the team looks beyond the individual complaint to identify wider lessons and opportunities for change.

Customer feedback and complaint learning are shared across Platform—from our Group Board and Executive Team to operational services through our Customer Experience Business Partners. This helps us build a shared understanding of what our customers are experiencing and ensures that learning leads to action.

The Board Member Responsible for Complaints plays an important role in providing oversight, challenge and accountability at the most senior level. This year, we have continued to encourage teams to make better use of data and technology so we can identify emerging issues earlier, act sooner and prevent problems from happening again. We will continue to strengthen this approach over the next 12 months.

The Board Member Responsible for Complaints, together with the wider Group Board, is pleased to present Platform’s third Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report. It sets out our performance during 2025/2026 and, most importantly, the changes we have made in response to what our customers have told us.

We know there is still more to do. By being open about our performance, listening carefully and showing how customer feedback is shaping our services, we can continue to build trust and focus on the improvements that matter most.
 

Download our Customer Feedback Leaflet (Complaints Procedure) here. 
Here is our Complaints Comments and Compliments Policy.