Housing Complaints
At Ashford Borough Council, we understand that sometimes things go wrong. If you're left unhappy with our housing service, we want to put things right quickly and fairly. We welcome your feedback and it helps us improve our services.
What is a complaint?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about the services we provide or the actions we have taken that affect an individual resident or a group of residents.
Some issues cannot be investigated through our formal complaints process.
If your concern is about a neighbour or antisocial behaviour, please visit our antisocial behaviour page.
To raise a complaint:
- Call us on (01233 331111)
- Email us at: housingresolutions@ashford.gov.uk
- Use our website
- Tell us in person at our offices or during an appointment.
- Write to us at to Ashford Borough Council, International House, Dover Place, Ashford, TN23 1HU.
- Contact us on Social Media
Some residents choose to use AI tools (such as ChatGPT or Copilot) to help draft their complaint. If you want more information about using AI tools to help you write your complaint please view our webpage.
What happens if you make a complaint?
We’ll acknowledge your complaint in writing within five working days and take your complaint through our two-stage process. Full details can be found in our Housing Service Complaints Policy.
All formal complaints are managed by a dedicated team who work closely with colleagues across the organisation to investigate concerns thoroughly and will speak with you throughout the process.
Complaint Handling Performance
We are committed to delivering an effective, fair, and accessible complaints service and work closely with the Housing Ombudsman to ensure we continually improve the services we provide to residents. As part of this commitment, we complete an annual self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code to review our compliance and identify opportunities for further improvement.
Our 2025/26 Housing Ombudsman Self-Assessment can be found here. You can also view our Annual Complaints Report 2024/25, which provides an overview of complaint performance, learning and service improvements arising from complaints, here.
The report and self-assessment were considered by Cabinet in June, and the Cabinet meeting minutes can be viewed here.
Councillor Noel Ovenden, Leader of the Council, welcomed the report and noted that this is the third consecutive year that an Annual Housing Complaints Report has been presented to Cabinet, demonstrating the Council's continued commitment to transparency, accountability, and effective complaint handling. He recognised the valuable role complaints play in helping the Council understand residents' experiences, identify areas for improvement and drive service change.
Cabinet acknowledged that the Housing Service had experienced significant pressures during the year, with complaint volumes continuing to increase, particularly in relation to repairs, damp and mould, and heating and hot water issues. Despite these challenges, Members welcomed the improvements made in complaint handling performance, including stronger compliance with Housing Ombudsman timescales and significant improvements in Stage 1 and Stage 2 response times.
Cabinet also welcomed the establishment of the Housing Complaints and Resolution Team, recognising the enhanced oversight, consistency, and accountability it will bring. Members noted the introduction of improved compensation arrangements and the Customer Promise function, which will help ensure commitments made to residents are delivered.
Whilst recognising improvements in complaint handling, Cabinet emphasised that the ultimate measure of success is resolving the issues that residents are experiencing. Members sought assurance regarding the Council's response to damp and mould and Ombudsman findings and were reassured that work is ongoing to meet the requirements of Awaab's Law, strengthen contractor performance and address the root causes of complaints. Cabinet reaffirmed its commitment to learning from complaints, improving services, and delivering better outcomes for residents.
By publishing these documents, we aim to be transparent, accountable, and open about how we handle complaints, learn from feedback and work alongside the Housing Ombudsman to deliver better outcomes for our residents.
Need Independent Advice?
We handle complaints in line with the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code which sets standards for how social landlords manage complaints.
The Housing Ombudsman is an independent service that helps resolve disputes between residents and social landlords. You can contact them at any stage of your complaint for advice and support. Visit the Housing Ombudsman website, call 0300 111 3000, email info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk, or complete their online complaint form.
