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Putting things right

Improving your experience when things go wrong.

We always try to deliver great services, but unfortunately, sometimes we can get it wrong and let you down. When this happens, we want to make sure we’re putting things right as soon as we can, so over the past six months, we’ve been making changes to improve the service you receive when you make a complaint.

These improvements build on our commitments to improve resident services and invest more in our existing homes, which we set out in 2021 when we launched our five-year corporate strategy, Future Shape (PDF).

Here’s an update on the progress we’ve made so far and the changes that you should see in the following improvement areas: 

  • Complaints handling
    We want to make sure our complaint handling process leaves you feeling reassured and confident that we’ll put things right. So, we’re implementing several new measures to ensure a more consistent and positive experience.

    Here are some highlights of how we're doing:
    • a member of our Group Board and Resident Services Board, which is made up of L&Q tenants and leaseholders, is overseeing our work to build a positive complaints culture
    • we've updated how we manage compensation, so if we get something wrong, you're compensated fairly based on how you've been impacted. Read our full Compensation policy (PDF)
    • we've improved the complaints information on our website to make it easier for you to tell us about things that have gone wrong
    • we're reviewing the past three years of our complaints data to make sure we are treating our residents fairly and equally, regardless of their background
    • we're reducing the time it takes us to resolve a complaint by recruiting more complaint handlers
    Infographic: 100% of complaint handling colleagues have completed new complaint handling training, and have their responses regularly reviewed to make sure they are meeting your needs.
  • Vulnerable residents

    We know that some residents have additional needs (the government describes this as being ‘vulnerable’, meaning residents in need of special care, support or protection because of age, disability or other risks).

    We want to make sure they receive a better complaint handling experience from us that considers and responds to these.

    Here are some highlights of how we’re doing:

    • we've introduced a new translation service and now offer British Sign Language (BSL) on-demand
    • we’re consulting with residents to make sure we fully understand what type of needs we might need to make adjustments for
    • we've updated the way we identify, record information about, and support vulnerable residents, so we can recognise where you may need extra support more quickly
    • we’ve made it compulsory for all our resident-facing colleagues to receive the latest training on supporting vulnerable residents so that they can work together with the individual to provide a service that works for them
    Infographic: we’re continuing to carry out visits to vulnerable residents to make sure we understand their needs in full and can better meet these.
  • Repairs
    We want to deliver a repair service that gives you confidence that if you experience an issue in your home, we’ll do everything we can to resolve it promptly and keep you informed along the way.

    Here are some highlights of how we're doing:
    • 20% increase in first-time fixes for day-to-day repairs
    • 2,900 new kitchens and bathrooms installed last year
    • 20,000 home visits to prevent and tackle damp and mould. Learn more about our Healthy Homes programme
    • we're organising our repairs services better to deliver more everyday repairs. We're doing this by delivering more large repairs through our landmark Major Works programme
    • we've looked at how we deal with damp and mould and have published the updates in Homelife, giving you clear advice on what to do if you have damp and mould in your home and how we can help you 
    Infographic: £3 billion, our investment to improve every residents’ home or building over the next 15 years.
  • Antisocial behaviour
    We want to help make sure your home and neighbourhood are places where you feel safe and secure. That’s why we’re looking at all aspects of how we deal with antisocial behaviour (ASB), so when you report an issue, you’re left feeling reassured that we’re taking the necessary steps to deal with it.

    Here are some highlights of how we're doing:
    • we’re improving our working arrangements with local partners, to help us tackle noise considered ASB as quickly as possible
    • we use the experience you’ve shared with us on how we’ve handled ASB issues to help us continually improve the service we provide
    • we’re putting Domestic Abuse Champions in place in our Housing Management team, to support residents who suffer from domestic abuse, and make sure they’re receiving the right type of support
    Infographic: we’re training colleagues to deal with antisocial behaviour more effectively, like spotting early signs of issues, so that they can support you by tackling them as soon as possible.
  • Staff learning and development
    We know how we communicate with you is an important part of the service provided. So, we’re doing more to make sure that no matter who you’re dealing with, you’re listened to and feel reassured.

    Here are some highlights of how we're doing:
    • we’ve worked with residents to help us recruit new Neighbourhood Housing Leads, and new customer relations roles to support our major works programme. We’re now considering whether we can roll out this approach to other resident-facing teams
    • we’re putting in place more quality checks to make sure colleagues are improving the way they communicate with you and we continue to train all staff, including our repairs team, in this area. This training is already complete for staff who work in the contact centre and the Housing Management team 
    • we’re reviewing the job descriptions of all our resident-facing roles to make sure that we attract people who are genuinely passionate about delivering excellent customer service time and time again
    • we've introduced new complaints handling training for all staff with resident-facing roles

    Learn more about how you can get involved in shaping L&Q through our resident involvement opportunities.

    Infographic: we’ve introduced compulsory tone of voice training for all colleagues to make sure that when we speak or write to you, you feel heard and understood.
  • Communication and record keeping
    We know how frustrating it is if the person you’re dealing with doesn’t have the right knowledge about you and your home to help resolve any complaints you may have. That’s why we’re putting measures in place to make sure our people have the information and systems they need to resolve issues with your home more easily.

    Here are some highlights of how we're doing:
    • we’re re-training resident-facing colleagues to make sure they accurately record information about you and your home. This means we can make sure you’re receiving a service that takes into account all your needs and anything that you’ve told us about yourself
    Infographic: we’re making major investments in new technologies and ways of working to improve our service to you. This includes new systems that will make sure we always have the right data and information about you and your home, at the right time in the right place. This will make it easier for you to deal with us, and help make sure we get it right first time every time for you.