Complaints
Give a compliment or share feedback
We always try to do the best for our customers and it's nice to hear when we get things right. If you've received excellent service and would like to share your thoughts and ideas, please let us know by completing our feedback form.
Compliments, complaints and feedback form
Make a complaint
We always want to provide you with the best possible service, but there may be times when things go wrong, and you want to complain. When a customer complains we always aim to treat the complaint seriously and investigate it fairly.
At the bottom of this page you can find links to our complaints policy and procedure, our self-assessment form and the Housing Ombudsman's complaints handling code.
What is a complaint?
A complaint is when a customer is unhappy with our service and asks us to put it right. Examples of complaints are:
- Lack of action in response to a request for service
- Poor quality service
- The behaviour of TCH staff or contractors working on behalf of TCH
- Failure to follow an approved TCH policy or procedure
What is not a complaint?
Complaints are issues with the services we provide. A problem we haven't previously been made aware of is not considered a complaint. Example of issues we don't treat as complaints are:
- An initial request for service, such as the first request for a repair
- An initial request for information or an explanation
- A report of anti-social behaviour (ASB) as they are dealt under our separate ASB policy and procedure
How to make a complaint
Complaints can be made in the following ways:
- Via our customer portal, MyHomeOnline
- Using our complaints form
- Emailing complaints@tch.org.uk
- Via web chat, which can be found at the bottom right of our website
- Calling our Customer Service team on 01892 501480
- Writing to us at Town & Country Housing. Monson House, Monson Way, Tunbridge Wells Kent TN1 1LQ
Please let us know if you need help to make your complaint, or you can also contact the local Citizens Advice Bureau. To find your local Citizens Advice Bureau call 020 7833 2181 or visit citizens advice.org.uk.
What to expect if making a complaint
Stage 1: Your complaint will be logged and acknowledged within five working days of receipt, but we will aim to will contact you within two working days of receipt to discuss your complaint and understand the problem.
We aim to resolve complaints within 10 working days, but sometimes investigations can take longer. In this case we'll let you know, keep you updated and agree a timescale for our response with you. We will issue our response to the complaint once the answer to the complaint is known and not at the point that any outstanding actions are completed, although we will of course keep in touch until any agreed actions are finished.
Stage 2: If you're dissatisfied with our response at Stage 1, you can request that your complaint is moved to Stage 2. We'll consider if it meets the criteria to be moved to Stage 2 which are:
The reasons for escalation relate to the original subject matter. If the reasons for the request are new unrelated issues, a new complaint will be recorded at Stage 1
It's been submitted within the 10-day deadline. In exceptional circumstances, the Assistant Director of Customer Experience may agree escalation outside this timescale.
If your complaint isn't escalated, we'll write to you to tell you why and provide details of the Housing Ombudsman Service. If it is, the case will be allocated to a Senior Manager or other member of the Stage 2 panel to investigate, they will contact you within two working days.
We aim to resolve Stage 2 complaints within 20 working days, but sometimes complex investigations may take longer. In this case we'll let you know, keep you updated and agree a timescale for our response with you.
What we ask of you
At each stage please tell us if you are unhappy with our response and want your complaint to be taken to the next stage. Please do this within 10 working days of receiving our last response. Please include any new information and tell us why you are dissatisfied. If we do not hear from you within 10 days your complaint will be closed.
Housing Ombudsman Service
You can also contact the Ombudsman for their advice
The Ombudsman can give you advice at any stage of the complaints process but won't decide about whether we've handled your complaint properly until you've fully completed our complaints process.
Their contact details are:
Address: Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 152, Liverpool, L33 7WQ
Telephone: 0300 111 3000
E-mail: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
Web: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
The Housing Ombudsman published an update to its Complaint Handling Code in April 2022, setting out good practice that will allow landlords to respond to complaints effectively and fairly.
At the bottom of this page is a link to our current self-assessment against the code. We are continually assessing our complaints process to make sure it's clear, simple, and accessible and helps us to resolve complaints promptly, politely, and fairly. If you have any questions or comments about our complaints process, please let us know.
Read our full compensation policy here, or see this summary of our damp and mould compensation policy
Town & Country Housing's self-assessment form - You can find out when our next annual self-assessment is due by reading this form.