Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code - self assessment 2024

Section 8 - Self-assessment, reporting and compliance

Code provision 8.1

Code requirement

Landlords must produce an annual complaints performance and service improvement report for scrutiny and challenge, which must include:

  1. the annual self-assessment against this Code to ensure their complaint handling policy remains in line with its requirements
  2. a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the landlord’s complaint handling performance. This must also include a summary of the types of complaints the landlord has refused to accept
  3. any findings of non-compliance with this Code by the Ombudsman
  4. the service improvements made as a result of the learning from complaints
  5. any annual report about the landlord’s performance from the Ombudsman; and
  6. any other relevant reports or publications produced by the Ombudsman in relation to the work of the landlord.

Comply

No.

Evidence

Commentary / explanation

Complaints Report 22/23 and response from the governing body. This does not include all areas under the code requirement.

The annual report cannot be completed for this period until the HO/LGSCO annual letters are issued.

Once we are in receipt of this, the report will be presented to the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee and published on our website in line with our Governance schedule.

Code provision 8.2

Code requirement

The annual complaints performance and service improvement report must be reported to the landlord’s governing body (or equivalent) and published on the on the section of its website relating to complaints. The governing body’s response to the report must be published alongside this.

Comply

Yes.

Evidence

Commentary / explanation

Complaints Report 22/23 and response from Governing Body.

The annual report cannot be completed for this period until the HO/LGSCO annual letters are issued.

Once we are in receipt of this, the report will be presented to the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee in Quarter 2 and published on our website in line with our Governance schedule in Quarter 3.

Code provision 8.3

Code requirement

Landlords must also carry out a self-assessment following a significant restructure, merger and/or change in procedures.

Comply

Yes.

Evidence

Evidence not applicable in this case.

Commentary / explanation

Noted.

Code provision 8.4

Code requirement

Landlords may be asked to review and update the self-assessment following an Ombudsman investigation.

Comply

Yes.

Evidence

Evidence not applicable in this case.

Commentary / explanation

Noted.

Code provision 8.5

Code requirement

If a landlord is unable to comply with the Code due to exceptional circumstances, such as a cyber incident, they must inform the Ombudsman, provide information to residents who may be affected, and publish this on their website Landlords must provide a timescale for returning to compliance with the Code.

Comply

Yes.

Evidence

Evidence not applicable in this case.

Commentary / explanation

Noted.