What happens when something goes wrong?
If something isn’t right, tell us. We’ll listen carefully, respond quickly, and work with you to fix it.
Most issues can be solved through a simple conversation. We’ll always try to put things right before you need to make a formal complaint.
We follow the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code to make sure every complaint is managed fairly, openly and on time.
Read our Complaints & Learning Factsheet.
We’ll confirm your complaint within five working days, give you the name of the person handling it, and respond within 10 working days of our acknowledgement. If it takes longer, we’ll explain why and keep you updated.
Every complaint helps us improve. We review each case to understand what went wrong and how to stop it happening again.
People: We treat complaints with empathy and respect.
Places: We keep communication open and clear.
Partnerships: We work with residents and the Ombudsman to ensure fairness and accountability.
See also: Housing Ombudsman and Customer Service Standards.
How can I make a complaint or share a concern?
You can contact us in whatever way suits you — we’ll make the process easy and transparent.
In person — speak to any team member.
By phone — 01522 514444
By email — housing@lacehousing.org or repairs@lacehousing.org
Online — through our Contact Us or Complaints Form pages.
Anyone receiving a Lace service can make a complaint.
If you’d like someone to act for you — such as a friend, carer, or advocate — please give us written consent.
See also Inclusive Services & Advocacy.
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions, or lack of action by Lace Housing, our staff, or those acting on our behalf.
We’ll acknowledge your complaint within five working days and respond within ten working days of our acknowledgement.
If you’re not satisfied, we’ll explain how to escalate your concern or contact the Housing Ombudsman.
Read more about our approach to fairness and transparency on our Housing Ombudsman page.
People: We listen without judgement.
Places: We make the process clear and fair.
Partnerships: We work with residents and advocates to resolve issues quickly and respectfully.
See also: Inclusive Services & Advocacy and Resident Voice and Involvement
How do we use complaints to make things better?
We don’t just record complaints — we act on them, share learning, and improve our homes and services together.
Each complaint is reviewed to understand what went wrong and how we can prevent it happening again.
We publish anonymised outcomes and learning examples on our website and in our Annual Report so you can see the improvements made.
Read our Annual Report to Residents.
Your feedback helps shape staff training, review policies, and guide investment in services that matter most to residents.
When something changes because of your feedback, we’ll tell you — through resident meetings, or online updates.
Read our Customer Service Standards and Resident Voice and Involvement pages to see how we’re working together to make continuous improvements.
How do we measure and report our performance?
We track every complaint, share what we’ve learned, and make our performance data publicly available each year.
We record every formal complaint and measure how quickly and fairly it was resolved, in line with the Ombudsman’s Code.
Our Board reviews trends and performance each quarter. Our Board Resident Champion and the Board Member Responsible for Complaints ensure resident feedback is considered at the highest level.
We publish complaint statistics, outcomes, and examples of service improvement in our Annual Report to Residents.
See performance data
The Housing Ombudsman offers free, impartial advice at any time and can investigate complaints once our internal process is complete.
Learn more about independent support and how to escalate a complaint on our Housing Ombudsman page.
We reflect on both compliments and complaints to celebrate what works and improve what doesn’t.
People: We build trust through honesty and openness.
Places: We use data to improve homes and services.
Partnerships: We share learning with residents and regulators to raise standards for everyone.
Read our Annual Report to Residents | Housing Ombudsman | Complaints and Learning Factsheet
