Complaints, compliments and feedback on housing services
We aim to provide you with a high-quality housing service and welcome all feedback.
If you are one of our tenants (you live in a house owned by Uttlesford District Council) we want to hear from you. You can tell us if you have a complaint, a compliment or you just want to give us feedback about our housing service or any repairs we've carried out.
What a complaint is
The Housing Ombudsman defines a complaint as:
An expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the organisation, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents.
How to tell us
You can:
- give a compliment - tell us about something we have done well
- make a formal complaint - if you have spoken to the service your problem relates to and are unhappy with their response then we can investigate further
If you have a compliment or feedback
Use our general feedback form to tell us your experience of Uttlesford District Council so that we know what we've done right or how we need to improve in the future.
Alternatively you can call us on 01799 510510 or email uconnect@uttlesford.gov.uk
If you have a complaint
Find out how to make a complaint and what to do at the different stages.
Talk to us informally first
In the first instance you should try to resolve the matter informally by talking to the member of staff you were dealing with.
Stage 1: make a complaint
If this does not resolve the issue, ask for the name of the manager and contact them with your complaint.
You can complain by completing our housing repairs online complaints form.
Alternatively you can complain by:
- email to housingcomplaints@uttlesford.gov.uk
- writing a letter to: Housing, Uttlesford District Council, London Road, Saffron Walden CB11 4ER
- by calling us on 01799 510510
Normally we will give you a response to your complaint within 10 working days.
Stage 2: ask for a review of your complaint
Once the manager has responded, if you are unhappy with the way your complaint has been dealt with you can write to the assistant director for the service.
We will investigate your complaint further and again aim to respond to you within 10 working days.
Refer to the Ombudsman
If you remain dissatisfied after you have complained to us, we will give you information about the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is an independent public body who can investigate how the council has handled your complaint.
You can find out more about Ombudsman services on the Local Government Ombudsman website and the Housing Ombudsman Service website.
The Housing Ombudsman has a Complaints Handling Code that sets out good practice for all social housing landlords, including Uttlesford District Council. The code helps us respond to complaints effectively and fairly.
Our complaints policy
You can find information about what we do at each stage in our Compliments, suggestions and complaints policy.
We will not tolerate abusive, persistent or vexatious complaints.