Because when you are making a complaint you are telling us that something has gone wrong we have a formal process for this information to pass through. We deal with all complaints in the strictest confidence. Firstly customers will be able to log their complaint with any member of staff, this staff  - member will then be responsible for the complaint until resolved, or if the customer wishes the complaint to be escalated to the next level. A response will be offered within 10 working days. If this is not achievable then the customer will be informed as to the reason why and with a proposed date for completion. If the Customer is not satisfied with the proposed resolution to the complaint at the first level then it will be escalated to the appropriate Head of Service. The Head of Service will review the first level and if required carry out further investigation. A response will be offered within 15 working days. If this is not achievable then the customer will be informed as to the reason why and with a proposed date for completion. The final stage of the internal complaints process is referral to the review panel if the customer remains dissatisfied with the Head of Services’ response to the complaint. The review panel will consist of Board members and the Managing Director of Three Rivers.  The review panel will review the first two stages and investigate further if required. The complainant will be invited to the review panel. The complaint will be reviewed at the next available date which will be no longer than 20 working days from escalation to the final internal stage.

Stage	Responsible	Target Time	Level
1st	Front Line	Max. 10 working days	Service level complaints
2nd	Head of Service	Max. 15 working days	Service level review
3rd and Final Internal Stage	Managing Director and Reviews Panel	Max. 20 working days	Review of internal investigation and decisions

If you feel at any stage of your complaint that you need to take legal advice, you should contact the local Citizen’s Advice Bureau, law centre or a solicitor. If you are still unhappy with the response that Three Rivers has provided after you have gone through all of the above stages, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman who will investigate complaints made against Housing Associations. The Ombudsman will only investigate your complaint if it has already been dealt with by Three Rivers Special Appeals Committee.

Housing Ombudsman
81 Aldwych
London


Tel: 020 7421 3800
Lo-call: 0845 7125 973
Minicom: 020 7404 7092
Fax: 020 7831 1942
E-mail: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk