Complaints

Our aim is to ensure that you receive a good service from us at all times. Sometimes we get it wrong and you may wish to make a complaint.

We are committed to resolving complaints fairly, openly, and promptly, in line with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code (statutory from 1 April 2024).
 

‘An expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by Connexus, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting a resident or group of residents.’

You do not have to use the word “complaint” for us to treat your concern as a complaint. If you tell us you are unhappy with our service, we will offer you the option to make a complaint.
 

A resident or customer of Connexus: anyone who requests or receives a service from Connexus or any of its subsidiaries.
 

We welcome complaints because they help us to:

• Put things right when something has gone wrong
• Learn from what goes wrong to improve our services
• Ensure we treat residents fairly and consistently

Making a complaint will not result in discrimination or a reduced level of service.
 

You can complain in any way that is easy for you:

• Use our online form
• Email us - hello@connexus-group.co.uk
• Call: 03332 31 32 33
• Post: Connexus, The Gateway, The Auction Yard, Craven Arms, SY7 9BW
• In person: when you speak to a colleague
• social media: @weareconnexus

Please be as specific as possible about what went wrong and when, who has been involved and what you want us to do to put the situation right.

We believe in providing equal opportunities for all by ensuring our customers’ needs are recognised and met. Where possible, we will make reasonable adjustments to ensure residents can access our services. To find out more, check our reasonable adjustments policy.
 

Service requests: We log, monitor and review service requests. If you are dissatisfied with the response to a service request, we will open a Stage 1 complaint, but we won’t stop trying to resolve the service request.

We want to resolve issues as early as possible, but we follow the following process when a complaint is made.
 

The timescale to respond starts from the date we acknowledge your complaint and we acknowledge within 5 working days. If we need more time, we will explain why and confirm a new response date within the original timescale
 

• We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days
• An Operational Manager will investigate and respond within 10 working days of acknowledgement
• If we need more time, we will contact you to explain why and confirm a new date by which we will respond. Escalations are usually no more than a further 10 working days unless in exceptional circumstances.

Our Stage 1 response will confirm: the stage, the complaint definition, our decision and reasons, any remedy (for example, an apology, action we will take) and outstanding actions, and how to escalate to Stage 2 along with information on how to contact the Housing Ombudsman. 

If you are unhappy with the outcome, you can request a Stage 2 Review.
 

• We will acknowledge your Stage 2 request within 5 working days
• A Complaints Manager will review the complaint and respond within 20 working days of acknowledgement.
• If we need more time, we will contact you to explain why and confirm a new date by which we will respond. Extensions are usually no more than a further 20 working days unless in exceptional circumstances.

The Complaints Manager will review all the evidence from the original complaint investigation to ensure the investigation was thorough, fully addressed the points from the original complaint and resulted in a fair decision with appropriate remedies.

At this stage, we may invite an involved customer to provide an independent view. You may decline this if you prefer.

Our Stage 2 response will confirm: the stage, the complaint definition, our decision and reasons, any remedy and outstanding actions, and how to refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman.
 

In some instances, we may not accept a complaint, such as:

• If the matter occurred more than 12 months ago
• When the matter is best dealt with under a different policy e.g. a complaint about a neighbour (Anti-Social Behaviour policy)
• Where it is an illegal or criminal matter which should be dealt with through police/courts, this includes allegations of violence/intimidation/harassment or theft. In these cases we may refer to other appropriate organisations in conjunction with our HR team.
• If we have already fully investigated the reported issue and previously provided a stage 2 response
• Where legal proceedings have started. This is defined as details of the claim, such as the Claim Form and Particulars of Claim, having been filed at court

If we do not accept a complaint, we will explain why in writing and tell you how to contact the relevant Ombudsman (if applicable).
 

You can contact the Housing Ombudsman directly for advice at any time.

If at the end of our complaint process, you remain dissatisfied, you can refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman. This should be within 12 months of reaching the end of our complaints process.
 

We record, review, and report on complaints to improve our services. We publish our:

• Complaints Policy
• Complaint Handling Code self-assessment 2025
• Complaint performance and service improvement report 2024-25

As part of the Housing Ombudsman's complaint handling code, all providers of social housing are required to publish a self-assessment annually. The above documents explain how Connexus meets the code and gives examples of learning and how customer feedback is used to improve our service.