Complaints
We aim to provide all residents with excellent services but recognise that we don’t always get things right. If you feel dissatisfied with our service, please let us know so we can respond to these issues appropriately.
Our priority is to address all issues quickly and thoroughly. If you do not feel we have handled your concerns appropriately or in line with our policies and procedures, you can raise a complaint.
For detailed information about how we handle complaints, please see our Complaints Policy below:
What is a Complaint?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction regarding:
- The standard of our service;
- Our actions or lack of actions;
- Our staff or those acting on our behalf.
There are a handful of circumstances in which we are unable to raise a complaint. This includes:
- Service Requests:
- A Service Request is a request that WPH provide a service or information, or for WPH to provide a service or information in a different way. Service Requests are also taken up if it is the first time you have made us aware of an issue with our service. If you remain dissatisfied following the service request, we will raise a Stage One complaint.
- Reports of ASB / nuisance
- Reported cases of neighbour disputes, anti-social behaviour, hate crime or domestic abuse would not be taken up under the Complaints Policy as they are matters separate from how we deliver our service. However, if you are dissatisfied with how we have handled your reports, this is something that can be taken up under the Complaints process.
- Ongoing Legal Action
- We are unable to take up complaints relating to any ongoing legal matter. If you have an open complaint and decide to pursue legal action, any complaint aspects under investigation through our Complaints process that are raised for legal action will cease investigation from the day that we receive notice of legal action.
- Issues that occurred over 12 months ago
- If a complaint is made regarding an incident that occurred over 12 months before the date you submit your complaint, we will not be able to take this up as a complaint due to the timescale.
- Matters already considered under the Complaints process at Stage One and Stage Two
- We are unable to raise a complaint about any matters that have already been addressed through the Complaints process at Stage One and Stage Two.
- No impact on complainant
- We are unable to accept as a complaint any issues that have not impacted the complainant (e.g. if a resident asks to raise a complaint about an issue that has impacted another resident but not themselves).
How to Make a Complaint
WPH will accept a complaint raised through any method of contact.
To support us in our investigation, you can raise a complaint by completing a Stage One Complaints Form. You can send a completed version to feedback@womenspioneer.co.uk or via post to our head office.
If you have received your Stage One response and wish to escalate to Stage Two, you can access the Stage Two Complaints form below or contact us for escalation. To submit this escalation request, you can send this to feedback@womenspioneer.co.uk or via post to our head office.
How we Handle Complaints
In-line with the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code 2024, our Complaint Policy follows a two-stage process:
Stage One:
At Stage One, we will acknowledge your complaint within five working days of receiving it. A complaint is then assigned to the most appropriate member of staff to investigate and provide a response within ten working days of when your complaint was acknowledged. If further investigations are required, this timeline may be extended, usually by no more than ten working days. If the complaint responder requires an extension we will let you know and seek to agree on a new timescale.
The complaint acknowledgement will outline our understanding of the issues you have raised in your complaint; this is known as the “Complaint Definition”. The response will address all points outlined in the Complaint Definition.
Depending on the outcome of our investigation, we will apologise if we have failed to provide a satisfactory service and explain what went wrong. We will also take appropriate steps to put things right, share lessons learned, and what steps we have taken to improve our service as a result of your case.
Stage Two:
If you are not satisfied with our response at Stage One or feel your issues have not been addressed, you can escalate your complaint to Stage Two within one month of receiving the Stage One response. Should you wish to escalate your complaint, please be advised that only matters raised at Stage One will be eligible for escalation. If you raise a new matter that was not addressed at Stage One then a new Stage One complaint will need to be raised.
At Stage Two, we will acknowledge your escalation within five working days of receiving it. Complaints at Stage Two will be dealt with by a more senior member of staff than who responded at Stage One. The Stage Two responder will review all information at Stage One and any additional information you may have shared. You will receive the outcome of our Stage Two investigation within twenty working days from the date your Stage Two complaint was acknowledged.
If further investigations are required, the time may be extended, usually by no more than ten working days. Once you receive the Stage Two complaint response, this will complete our Complaints process.
The Housing Ombudsman Service
You can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service at any point during the complaint process for advice. The service is free, independent, and impartial, and aims to resolve disputes with care and consideration.
If you are not satisfied with your Stage Two response, you can ask the Housing Ombudsman to investigate your complaint further. However, you can contact them at any point for advice.
The contact details of the Housing Ombudsman are below.
Housing Ombudsman Service
PO Box 1484
Unit D
Preston
PR2 0ET
Complaints Handling Code
The Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code sets out best practices for handling complaints.
Following resident feedback, we have conducted a self-assessment of our service in relation to the Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code.
This outlines how we comply with the Code and the actions we are taking to improve our services and learn from resident feedback.
More information on our self-assessment can be found below.
Complaints Report 2024
Each year we review the complaints we have received to understand how we can best improve. You can view our performance for 2024 below.
Governing Body Response to Complaint Report 2024
Women's Pioneer Board reviewed the annual complaints report on complaints handling and resident satisfaction. The Board welcomed the clarity of the report and insights into how we can continue to strengthen our approach to managing and learning from complaints.
The Board discussed what success in 2025 would look like in improving our handling of complaints. It was agreed that success will be demonstrated through clearer analysis of complaint themes, as recurring themes from multiple residents can indicate areas where service delivery needs improvement. By identifying and addressing these trends, we aim to reduce repeated issues and enhance residents’ overall experience.
The Board also noted the reported 36% satisfaction rate with our complaints process. This figure is measured through the Tenant Satisfaction Measures conducted by Acuity, which survey residents on their satisfaction with how Women's Pioneer Housing handles complaints. We recognise that there is room for improvement and are committed to taking action to raise satisfaction levels.
Communication was identified as a key area for improvement. The Board asked about progress with the new housing management system, specifically the complaints module. This module was successfully implemented in July 2024. The system improvements will help ensure residents have timely updates and clearer communication about their complaints.
Finally, the Board discussed how progress will be monitored and reported back. It was confirmed that resident satisfaction data collected through the new system will be used to measure improvement. In addition, a regular report on complaint themes will be presented to the board and committees to track performance and ensure accountability.