When customers are dissatisfied with our service, they have the right to make a complaint. Complaints help us understand where things have gone wrong, put them right and improve the services we provide.
Each year, we publish an Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report. It summarises the complaints we received, how effectively we responded, what customers told us and the improvements we are making as a result.
Our performance and learning are reported to the Board and shared openly with customers.
How We Performed in 2025/26
| Year | Stage 1 complaints received | Responded to within target | Stage 2 complaints |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 186 | 82.3% | 15 |
| 2023/24 | 143 | 95.1% | 3 |
| 2024/25 | 174 | 98.3% | 11 |
| 2025/26 | 281 | 100% | 20 |
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We received 281 Stage 1 complaints, compared with 174 in the previous year.
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100% of Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints were responded to within the required timescales.
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Satisfaction with complaint handling increased from 56.2% to 61.5%.
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Satisfaction among customers who had recently used our complaints process increased from 66.2% to 88.9%.
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Repairs and Property Services continued to account for the largest proportion of complaints.
What Customers Complained About
Repairs remained the main source of complaints. The most common concerns included:
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The time taken to complete repairs and follow-on work.
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The quality of completed work.
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Missed or rearranged appointments.
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Repeat visits and repairs not being completed first time.
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Communication and customers not being kept informed.
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Agreed actions not being completed.
Although complaints about the time taken to complete work have reduced as a proportion of the total, complaints about processes and the overall customer journey have increased. This shows that we need to focus not only on completing individual tasks, but also on ownership, communication and the customer’s end-to-end experience.
Improvements Made During 2025/26
Complaints handling
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Worked with customers through a Complaints Task and Finish Group to review complaint journeys, responses and communication.
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Improved complaint letters, customer information and guidance for managers.
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Strengthened the way learning and improvement actions are recorded and shared.
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Provided additional support on tone, empathy, vulnerability and effective complaint resolution.
Repairs and maintenance
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Continued to improve communication about appointments, delays and follow-on work.
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Increased the focus on the quality of completed repairs and reducing repeat visits.
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Strengthened the monitoring of actions agreed with customers.
Compensation and remedies
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Strengthened our approach to assessing distress, disruption and vulnerability.
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Improved guidance for complaint handlers and managers.
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Reinforced the importance of offering appropriate remedies when something has gone wrong.
Stage 2 Complaints
During 2025/26, 20 complaints progressed to Stage 2, compared with 11 in the previous year.
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All 20 Stage 2 complaints were responded to within the required 20-working-day timescale.
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18 of the 20 complaints were upheld, representing 90%.
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Most Stage 2 complaints related to Repairs and Property Services.
Our review identified several reasons why customers escalated their complaints:
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Actions agreed at Stage 1 had not been completed.
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The Stage 1 response did not fully address all aspects of the complaint.
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Customers did not feel their concerns had been resolved.
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Communication and ownership were not always clear.
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A customer’s individual circumstances or vulnerability had not been sufficiently recognised.
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Agreed repair timescales or other promised outcomes had not been met.
Our Planned Improvements for 2026/27
During 2026/27, we will:
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Improve communication about repair appointments, delays and follow-on work.
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Reduce repeat visits and strengthen our focus on completing repairs correctly the first time.
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Improve the tracking and completion of actions agreed through complaints.
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Strengthen Stage 1 investigations and responses to resolve more complaints at the earliest opportunity.
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Continue training and support for colleagues on tone, empathy, vulnerability and appropriate remedies.
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Review upheld and escalated complaints to identify recurring issues and prevent them from happening again.
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Work with customers to check that the improvements we make are having a positive and lasting impact.
The Housing Ombudsman
North Star remains fully compliant with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code, with no areas of non-compliance identified through our annual self-assessment.
The Board reviews complaints performance, learning and improvement actions throughout the year. Our annual report and self-assessment provide assurance that complaints are taken seriously and used to improve services for customers.