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Complaints procedure

What to do if you want to complain about a service delivered by the Regulator of Social Housing.

A complaint is defined as an expression of dissatisfaction. Before you submit a complaint, please check to see if there is a more appropriate route for dealing with your concerns.

How to complain about a social housing provider (landlord)

To complain about a landlord please see the Information for social housing tenants page.

How to appeal against our regulatory decisions

For guidance on which decisions made by the Regulator of Social Housing you can appeal, and how to appeal, see our How to appeal against our decisions page.

How to contact us

By mail:

Referrals and Regulatory Enquiries team
Regulator of Social Housing
Level 2
7-8 Wellington Place
Leeds LS1 4AP

By email: enquiries@rsh.gov.uk

By telephone: 0300 124 5225. Choose option 3

How we handle complaints about RSH

Your complaints will be handled quickly, effectively and in a fair and honest way. We treat all complaints in confidence. We are committed to protecting your privacy and the security of your personal data. Please read our privacy notice to find out more about how we do this.

Where someone complains orally, we will make a written record and provide a copy of it within 3 working days. We’ll acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 working days of receipt. We will respond to you as soon as possible and within 40 working days. If the investigation into your complaint will take longer, you’ll be kept informed of the progress of the case.

When we receive a complaint about a service provided by RSH, these go through a three-stage process:

Stage 1

The complaint is managed by the team to which the complaint relates. You should complain no later than 3 months after you became aware of the problem or should reasonably have become aware of it.

Stage 2

If you’re unhappy with the way that we handled your complaint at stage 1 you can escalate it for an independent review of the original complaint. The review will be carried out by a different team to the one that handled the stage 1 review. You should submit your complaint within 3 months of receiving a response to stage 1.

Stage 3

If you’re still unhappy with our response you can refer it to the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, who will carry out an independent review. If you wish to make a referral to CEDR you should do this as soon as possible, as CEDR may not be able to consider the matter if there is undue delay in referring the matter to them. CEDR will be able to provide guidance to you on the timescales that apply.

If you are still not satisfied, you can ask your MP to take your complaint to the independent Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review the handling of your complaint.

Accessibility

In accordance with our duties under the Equality Act 2010, on request, the RSH must make reasonable adjustments so that complainants do not face undue difficulties in contacting us. We will offer appropriate help to enable people to use this complaints procedure effectively. For example, if a complainant feels more comfortable talking to someone about their complaint, a RSH staff member can write a note and check with the complainant that it covers all the issues they want to raise.

Unreasonably persistent or vexatious complainants

We are committed to providing clear and prompt responses to people who contact us, and to dealing appropriately with information supplied to us about registered providers.

We understand that the circumstances leading to someone approaching RSH may have been upsetting or distressing, and that behaviour may be out of character. However, some individuals who contact us are so angry and/or persistent that their behaviour results in unreasonable demands on, or behaviour towards our staff.

Our approach to dealing with unacceptable behaviour, where complainants become unreasonably persistent or vexatious, is outlined on our Service standards page. This policy will only be applied when all other courses of action have been exhausted and only under limited circumstances.

How to make a data protection complaint

If you believe that your personal data has been handled incorrectly, you have the right to raise a data protection complaint. In the first instance, you should contact us directly using the details provided on this page, clearly outlining your concerns and including any relevant information to help us investigate.

How we handle data protection complaints about RSH 

Your complaint will be handled quickly, effectively and in a fair and honest way. We treat all complaints in confidence. Your complaint will be processed by our Data Protection, Information Access and Complaints (DPIAC) Team. If your complaint relates to a matter a DPIAC officer has already handled for example a subject access request, it will be reviewed by a different authorised officer to ensure it is considered independently. 

We are committed to protecting your privacy and the security of your personal data. Please read our privacy notice  to find out more about how we do this. 

We’ll acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 working days of receipt. 

We aim to provide a full outcome to your data protection complaint within 40 working days of receipt. If the investigation into your complaint will take longer, you’ll be kept informed of the progress of the case. 

Verifying Your Identity 

We do not usually need formal identification to look into a data protection complaint. In most cases, we can proceed using the information you provide in your complaint. 

However, there are some situations where we may need to verify your identity before we can continue. This helps us make sure we are sharing personal data with the correct person and protects your privacy.

When we may ask for ID 

We may request proof of identity if: 

  • we have not dealt with you before, and we cannot confirm your identity from previous correspondence or our records; 

  • we need to discuss or confirm personal information in detail as part of the investigation; 

  • we need more information to locate the correct records linked to your complaint; 

  • you are acting on someone else’s behalf, and we must confirm your authority to represent them. 

What documents we may ask for 

If we do need to verify your identity, we will ask for the minimum necessary, and we will explain what we need and why. 

You may be asked to provide: 

One primary identity document: 

  • a valid driving licence; or 

  • a valid passport. 

Plus one supporting document: 

  • a recent bank or building society statement; 

  • a recent utility bill; 

  • another acceptable proof‑of‑address document. 

If you are acting on someone’s behalf 

If you are submitting a complaint for another person, we may also ask for evidence of your authority to act for them. This may include: 

  • an appropriate power of attorney; or 

  • a signed letter of authority from the person you represent. 

How to appeal  

If you are still not satisfied, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner or get advice from the ICO. 

ICO 

Information Commissioner’s Office 
Wycliffe House Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire 
SK9 5AF

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