How to make a complaint to SIC Housing
This page provides some general advice for people thinking of making a complaint to Shetland Islands Council’s Housing Service. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the service you should contact us.
We are an organisation committed to continual improvement, and see customer feedback and complaints as an essential part of that process. If you have any feedback or would like to make a complaint please let us know. It is important that we have the opportunity to hear your complaints so that we can work together to resolve these without delay.
The following information does not replace your rights to use the Shetland Islands Council’s Corporate Complaints Procedure or the right to refer a complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman www.spso.org.uk
You should note that there is a separate and specific process for appealing decisions on homelessness applications, and you should contact SIC Housing on 01595 744360 for more information on this.
How to leave feedback or make a complaint:
Corporate Complaints Procedure
What will SIC Housing do?
We will;
- Acknowledge your comments or complaint within three working days.
- Send you a written response within 10 working days.
- If you are not satisfied with our response, we will tell you how you can take your complaint further either through the Council Corporate Procedure or through an independent organisation such as the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.
We promise to:
- Write to you in plain English.
- Address all the points raised by you and explain what we will do to resolve your complaint.
- Provide a solution if we are at fault.
- Explain to you how to appeal if you are not satisfied with our response.
In Writing
Who should I address my complaint to?
What should I include in the letter?
In order to put your complaint to us in writing you may need, in the first instance, to telephone us to clarify the issues and identify the Service Manager responsible for dealing with your complaint. This call will also help you to find out whether there are any special procedures for lodging your complaint.
It is good practice to write down the name and position of the person you are speaking to as well as the time and date of the call.
You can seek independent advice from:
Shetland Citizen Advice Bureau |
And you can also seek independent advocacy assistance from:
Advocacy Shetland Market House 14 Market Street Lerwick ZE1 0JP Telephone: 01595 743929/743930 Fax: 01595 696787 email: advocacy.shetland@virgin.net |
Who should I address my complaint to?
Address your complaint to the Service Manager responsible for the person or area you have a problem with.
Housing’s Service Manager – Business Support is responsible for:
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Housing's Service Manager - Housing Estate and Property is responsible for:
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Service Manager *Business Support/Housing & Property Housing Service Fort Road Lerwick ZE1 0LW. * delete as appropriate |
What should I include in the letter?
You should try to summarise your problem, including:
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Make it clear that you want your concerns addressed and even tell us what action you think should be taken to resolve the problem, bearing in mind that your requests should be reasonable. It is also useful to ask for an acknowledgement of your letter and an indication of how and when your complaint will be dealt with.
You may also wish to indicate that you will take the matter to a higher authority, such as the Head of Service, Chief Executive of Shetland Islands Council or the Local Government Ombudsman if your complaint is not appropriately addressed.
Anything else?
It is important to keep copies of all letters and materials you send and receive and to keep a record of telephone calls including dates, times and what was said. This information may help you further down the track if we fail to adequately address your complaint.
What if this doesn't work?
If the above steps don't work within a reasonable time, you may decide to take your complaint further.
You may wish to make a formal complaint to Shetland Islands Council. This can be done either through writing a letter or by completing the Council Corporate Complaint form and sending it to:
Chief Executive's Office Shetland Islands Council Executive Services Department Town Hall Hillhead Lerwick ZE1 0HB |
The complaint will then be sent to the Head of Service to deal with. Following this, if you are still dissatisfied and wish to take the matter further, it is, on request, referred to the Chief Executive for investigation.
You also have the right to make a formal complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, who deals with complaints in Scotland about Local Government and other public services, and can be contacted at www.spso.org.uk, telephone 0870 377 7330.
Telephone
You can make a complaint to Housing Service over the telephone. If you choose to do this it is important that you state that you are making a formal complaint and that you wish the information that you provide to be treated as such.
Although telephone complaints may seem easier, it can sometimes be difficult to get through to the appropriate person. It can also be difficult to prove that you complained in the first place if you do not feel adequate action is taken as a result of your conversation.
Of course, your problem may be so urgent that you have no choice but to complain over the telephone. If this is the case, make sure you keep notes of what is said, including any statements about what will be done to address your problem, the name and position of the person, and time and date of the call.
Remember to follow-up any conversation in writing to confirm your understanding of the conversation and ask for acknowledgement of your letter.
We recommend that you write to us, addressing your letter to a Service Manager, because then you will have a record of events to draw upon at a later date.
In Person
Problems may be so urgent that you have no choice but to make your complaint in person to a member of Housing Service staff. If you choose to make your complaint in person it is very important that you state that you are making a formal complaint and that you wish the information that you provide to be treated as such.
You should also make sure that you keep a note of what is said, including any statements about what will be done to address your problem, the name and position of the person, and time and date of the call.
Remember to follow-up any conversation in writing to confirm your understanding of what has been said and ask for acknowledgement of your letter.
Please note that we recommend that you write to us, addressing your letter to a Service Manager, because then you will have a record of events to draw upon at a later date.
Online Feedback
You can make your complaint online using the online feedback facility available on this website. To access the online feedback you should go to the bottom right menu on this screen and click on How to feedback or complain online. When leaving online feedback please follow the guidelines set out above for writing a complaint.
Alternatively you can email us at housing@sic.shetland.gov.uk. When sending an email complaint please follow the above guidelines for Writing a Complaint.
Survey
Surveys give tenants the opportunity to feedback and make comments on specific areas of the service we provide. To view our published survey results Click Here.
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The SIC Housing Complaints Procedure does not replace your rights to use the Shetland Islands Council's Corporate Complaints Procedure or the right to refer a complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. You may view our complaints procdure online at: www.shetland.gov.uk/housing/policyandprocedures/documents/OP42v1.1.pdf