We are always keen to hear your feedback as this helps us to learn and understand areas where we are delivering services well and areas where we can improve.
Dissatisfaction and informal complaints
Informal complaints and dissatisfaction are recorded through our customer contact service Connect. The most common reason for dissatisfaction is unresolved repairs and property related issues.
The main theme of dissatisfaction is the time taken to fully resolve repairs, and communication to keep customers updated when repairs encounter delays. We have previously reported about the ongoing service pressures with resource availability and the knock-on effect this has had in service delivery to customers.
We have made improvements to the way we update customers when delays occur through text updates which has contributed to some improvement in the year.
We continue to maintain positive satisfaction scores from our customer feedback surveys when repairs are completed at our properties.
If you receive a customer feedback survey about our services, please take the time to leave a comment with your score – it really does help us to understand the areas which are working well and the areas where we need to consider improvements.
Formal Complaint Investigations
In most cases, the quickest and most effective way to resolve complaints or dissatisfaction is for us to try to put things right quickly, working with our managers.
However, if you remain unhappy with how your complaint has been handled, you can escalate your complaint to the formal process. More information, including the role of The Housing Ombudsman can be found here https://www.jigsawhomes.org.uk/complaints/
During Quarter 1 (April to June 2023) we closed 122 complaint investigations through our formal complaints process.
In 32 cases, the customer remained unhappy with the investigation and response and escalated their complaint to the final stage of the complaints process (Review).
Complaints (Stage 1 – Investigation) Q1 April- June 2023
Jigsaw North: 52
Jigsaw Tameside: 60
Jigsaw Midlands: 10
Jigsaw Support: 0
Total (closed cases): 122
Complaint Investigations by Department Q1 April – June 2023
Allocations/Lettings: 4
Repairs – Planned/Investment: 11
Repairs – Routine responsive: 66
Neighbourhood Safety (ASB): 8
Asset Management – Environmental: 6
Asset Management – Other: 4
Neighbourhood – Tenancy Matters: 2
Neighbourhood – Other: 2
Development: 5
Income recovery: 2
Service charge/ leasehold: 1
Other: 4
Complaint Outcomes Q1 April – June 2023
Complaint upheld (service failure) 16 (13%)
Complaint upheld in part (partial service failure) 29 (24%)
Complaint not upheld (no service failure) 77 (63%)
The Housing Ombudsman Service
We received two determinations from The Housing Ombudsman during this reporting period. In one case service failure was identified.
Case 1: The landlord’s response to classification of a bedroom for bedroom tax purposes.
Determination: No service failure.
Case 2: The landlord’s response to reports of anti-social behaviour and complaint handling.
Determination: Maladministration (service failure)
The Ombudsman found that there were unnecessary delays with progressing a formal complaint about the handling of reports of ASB. The Complaints lead intends to deliver additional training to frontline teams to reinforce the importance of recognising when to escalate complaints to the formal process.
Legal Disrepair Claims
A disrepair claim is a legal claim brought against Jigsaw Homes for an alleged failure to complete repairs at your home within a reasonable period. The Claims Management Company will usually receive a fee if you agree to pursue a claim and there will often be substantial legal costs incurred.
It is important that you are aware of all the charges that might apply to a claim if you agree to pursue one as these will usually be taken from any compensation awarded to you. If you are unsure as to the charges or your rights after entering into an agreement, we would suggest you speak with your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
Disrepair (Legal) claim outcomes for closed cases during reporting period Q1 April – June 2023
Successfully defended by landlord: 47
Settled (with costs): 14
Settled twice: 1
Unsuccessful at trial: 0
Successful at trial: 5
Claim withdrawn by tenant: 2
Successful trials
Case 1:
The solicitor who brought this claim was from a firm we have reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority due to alleged malpractice.
The Judge at court suggested the case was a waste of the court’s time and asked them to reconsider carrying on with the trial. The firm would not drop the case. The Judge told them he was aware of the issues with the firm and if they carried on he would be looking very closely at their conduct in this case which was in question. The Barrister agreed to drop hands without the trial going ahead. This means each side bears their own costs and we were successful in defending the claim.
Case 2:
The tenant had made a previous claim for disrepair in 2017 (through a different firm), which was successfully defended. The tenant brought another claim in 2020 for damp, mould and a leak to the kitchen. None of these were found on the previous claim by our expert or the tenant’s expert and only the leak to the kitchen was found by both experts when inspecting for the second claim.
No actionable dampness was found by both experts on the second claim and there was no notice of the leak. The tenant delayed work being completed by refusing access on a number of occasions. The tenant’s barrister accepted our evidence.
Jigsaw Homes won the case and the tenant was ordered to pay £1212 in costs.
Case 3:
The tenant made a claim in September 2021 around leaks and damp throughout the property due to a defective roof and guttering to the property.
A joint inspection of the property was carried out in November 2021 with the expert evidence differing in opinion on the alleged defects.
Ultimately it was found that there were defective gutters to the property, resulting in misalignment and leakage. The front gutters were found to be displaced. The tenant had reported a leak into the rear bedroom on two occasions and reported the rear gutters overflowing on one occasion. There were no reports of displaced guttering to the front of the property.
The key issue in the claim was notice received from the tenant and the impact upon the use and enjoyment of the property, as the impact of the leak to the rear bedroom was minimal. While there was some delay in these works, the judge was satisfied we had attended and carried out appropriate works to remove the blockage. In relation to the leak into the rear bedroom, the tenant had reported this in 2019 and 2021. In 2019, we were unable to gain access to the property and there had been no further reports until 2021 and we attended in September 2021. However, at this point we had received the Letter of Claim, and the tenant refused access on the advice of their solicitor.
The judge found that for most of the alleged defects claimed, the Landlord was not liable as they did not fall within our statutory repairing obligations. In respect of the roof, no leak was found and therefore no liability. In relation to the gutters, although defective, the tenant had not provided sufficient notice/explanation of the defect and when we had attended, access had either not been available or had been refused.
The claim was dismissed on all points and Jigsaw Homes was awarded £980 costs to be paid within 21 days.
Case 4:
The tenant made a claim in November 2021 mainly relating to damp throughout the property.
Their solicitor claimed to have served us with this in November 2021, although it had not been received. A copy of the letter was not received until February 2022 and the signature provided did not match our records. Despite several requests it was not until 23 June 2022 that photographic identification was provided.
The tenant’s solicitor claimed that Jigsaw Homes was making allegations of none receipt of claims as a matter of course in order to delay proceedings.
The copy of the letter of claim which was allegedly served in November 2011 and a copy provided to us in February 2022 clearly showed the customer form of authority had only been signed in January 2022. Hence it could not have been served in November 2021.
We presented the tenants solicitor with the evidence at court prior to proceedings commencing and they withdrew from the claim based on their own conduct of the case.
Case 5:
We received a disrepair claim in 2021 for damp, mould and previous plumbing leaks in the property that had caused some damage. The claim was settled for £750 damages and this was agreed on 1 March 2022 with agreement that we did the work within 90 days, subject to reasonable access being given by the tenant.
Despite attempts to contact the tenant, they did not respond to us until 30 March 2022 and then requested a pre-start survey from 9 June 2022 when they would be available. We attended on this day and told the tenant in writing that work would start on 29 June 2022 and would be completed within one week. When our operatives attended on 29 June 2022, they were refused to allow work to start unless we undertook the work over two weeks. We reorganised the works and they were completed within 2 weeks.
The tenant’s solicitors issued proceedings at court in July 2022 for breach of settlement terms because we had not completed the works within 90 days.
On the day of the trial, the tenant did not attend and the solicitor sought permission from the court to vacate the trail. Our solicitor requested some proof of when the tenant would be available and we received no response. We therefore did not agree to the request for adjournment. The Judge would not accept their request for an adjournment and the trial went ahead.
The Judge dismissed the claim and awarded costs to Jigsaw Homes to be paid to us in 21 days.
We can help
Jigsaw Homes wants to ensure that all its tenants and residents live in homes free from any repairs. If you have any repairs or concerns regarding your home, please contact us so we can help resolve your issues and complete any works that might be needed.
We have a robust complaints process and compensation policy. The purpose of these policies is to ensure that everyone can raise a complaint, have it thoroughly investigated and resolved quickly. We follow The Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code and offer compensation where appropriate.
