Stage 1 - Investigation
The first step would be a formal investigation and will be assigned to the appropriate manager or team to investigate. This will involve collating all evidence, speaking to all relevant people involved and providing a full written response.
The complaint will be
- acknowledged within 5 working days
- a written response will be provided within 10 working days.
- if a response within 10 working days is not possible the Resident should be contacted to explain the reason for the delay and be given a date when they can expect a final response.
We will address all points raised in the complaint and provide clear reasons for any decisions, referencing the relevant policy, law and good practice where appropriate.
The vast majority of complaints are sorted out at this stage, but if you are not happy with the solution we offer, you can escalate your complaint to Stage 2.
Fill in our complaints form on-line.
If you are unable to complete an online form, we will be more than happy to go through this with you over the phone by calling 03000 123 123. You can also contact us to request a form by post.
Stage 2 – Review
If a Resident remains unhappy with the Stage 1 response they can ask for a review within 28 days of the decision. This review must be carried out by a senior manager.
To escalate your Stage 1 complaint to Stage 2, please follow the instructions in your Stage 1 response letter.
The complaint will be
- acknowledged within 5 working days
- a written response will be provided within 10 working days.
- if a response within 10 working days is not possible the Resident should be contacted to explain the reason for the delay and be given a date when they can expect a final response.
We will address all points raised in the complaint and provide clear reasons for any decisions, referencing the relevant policy, law and good practice where appropriate.
Our ‘stage 2’ response will be our final response to the complaint and the end of our internal complaints process. If residents are still not happy with the final response received, they can progress their complaint further through to the Housing Ombudsman.
Independent review
If you still aren’t satisfied following our two internal stages, you can ask to have your complaint reviewed independently of Manchester City Council Housing Services. This can be done by your local MP or a local Councillor.
You can find your local councillor here.
Most cases are resolved within our process but if you are still not satisfied, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman and ask them to review your complaint. The Ombudsman will only do this after you have been through our internal process.
You can find more about the Housing Ombudsman here:
What you can expect from us
- Your complaint will be dealt with fairly and in confidence.
- We will apologise where there has been a service failure.
- We will learn from the mistakes we have made to improve our service and processes.
- Cascade regular information about our complaints performance and how lessons learned have helped us improve our service in response to complaints received.
Our Complaints and Compliments Policy
You can view our Complaints and Compliments Policy here:
Complaints and Compliments Policy 2022
We also carry out an annual review of our complaints process against the Housing Ombudsman Code. This is to ensure our complaint handling remains in line with the Ombudsman requirements, and that we're providing the best possible service for residents.
You can find our most recent self-assessment here:
