complaints
We take all complaints seriously and want to learn from our mistakes. You can make a complaint by completing the form below, emailing hello@believehousing.co.uk, calling 0300 1311 999 or reporting your issue to a believe housing representative.
Most of our customers are happy with the services we provide, but when things go wrong, we want to know so we can put them right quickly and fairly.
We use your feedback to learn and improve our services.
You can see what we have done with customer feedback on our Customer Voice Matters page.
What is a complaint?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the landlord, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting a resident or group of residents. In simple terms, it’s when you tell us you’re unhappy with something and want us to put it right.
What is a service request?
A service request is asking for something to be done for the first time such as a repair or reporting anti-social behaviour.
Service requests may become a complaint if you are unhappy with how we have responded or something has gone wrong.
Our commitment to you
We aim to provide a complaints service that is fair, easy to use, and accessible for everyone.
We will:
- Take all complaints seriously
- work with you to put things right
- treat you with respect and dignity
- consider your individual needs and any vulnerabilities
- make reasonable adjustments where needed
- allow someone to act on your behalf if you choose
- clearly explain our decision if we cannot provide the outcome you are seeking.
How can I raise a complaint?
You can contact us in a way that suits you:
- Call or text: 0300 1311 999
- email: mailto:hello@believehousing.co.uk
- use the customer app or portal
- social media
- write to us at Coast House, Spectrum 4, Spectrum Business Park, Seaham, SR7 7TT
- use the submission form at the bottom of this page.
- you can also ask a family member, friend, or representative to raise or manage a complaint on your behalf.
What happens when I make a complaint?
We have a simple two stage complaints process.
Your complaint will be allocated to the Customer Insight Team who will review and investigate your concerns.
- We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days
- we will confirm our understanding of your concerns and the outcome you want
- we will investigate your complaint
- you will receive a full written response within 10 working days of acknowledgement
- we will explain what happened and what we will do to put things right.
If you are not satisfied with our Stage 1 response, you can ask for a review.
- Please contact us within six months
- a Senior Insight Advisor will review your complaint
- you will receive a response within 20 working days of acknowledgement.
If you remain dissatisfied, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service for independent advice or to review your complaint.
- 0300 111 3000
- www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
- Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 1484, Unit D, Preston, PR2 0ET
You can contact them at any stage for advice.
We follow the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code, which became a legal requirement under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023.
We are required to publish:
Our Board Member responsible for complaints is Monica Burns.
Customer Complaints Panel
In 2025, we set up a Customer Complaints Panel to hold us to account.
The panel:
- Reviews our complaints performance
- checks that our complaints process is fair, open and focused on putting things right
- helps us identify learning and improvements across our services.
The panel also looks beyond individual complaints, helping us understand the root causes of issues so we can prevent them happening again.
You can find out more on our customer friendly complaints leaflet.