Complaints Officer (Housing Repairs and Compliance)
Your tasks
About the Role We are seeking an experienced Complaints Officer to join a busy Customer Resolution team on an interim basis. This is an excellent opportunity for a housing professional with experience managing complex complaints within a Housing Association, Local Authority, ALMO or social housing environment.
The successful candidate will be responsible for managing a caseload of Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints, undertaking thorough investigations, liaising with operational teams and ensuring responses are delivered in line with Housing Ombudsman requirements.
- Manage a caseload of approximately 20 complaints per week from receipt through to resolution.
- Investigate and respond to both Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints in line with organisational policies and Housing Ombudsman requirements.
- Gather evidence from multiple departments to establish facts and identify service failures where applicable.
- Draft high-quality complaint responses that are clear, empathetic, accurate and customer focused.
- Identify themes, trends and learning outcomes from complaints and support service improvement initiatives.
- Liaise with operational teams including Housing Management, Repairs, Asset Management and Property Compliance.
- Ensure complaints are recorded and managed accurately within the organisation's SharePoint-based CRM system.
- Maintain comprehensive audit trails, records and case notes.
- Support the handling of:
- Freedom of Information (FOI) requests
- Subject Access Requests (SARs)
- MP enquiries
- Executive and sensitive customer enquiries
- Monitor response deadlines and ensure compliance with statutory and organisational timescales.
- Contribute to a positive customer experience by resolving concerns professionally and efficiently.
- Escalate high-risk or complex matters where appropriate.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys problem solving, improving customer outcomes and driving service improvement within a housing environment.
Requirements
This role requires a confident individual who can work with minimal supervision, demonstrate sound judgement, and quickly build effective relationships across service areas including housing management, repairs and property compliance.
- Previous experience working as a Complaints Officer, Customer Resolution Officer or similar role.
- Experience managing Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints independently.
- Ideally a background within a Housing Association, Local Authority or social housing organisation.
- Strong understanding of the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code and complaint investigation best practice.
- Experience providing written responses to complex customer complaints.
- Ability to interpret policies, procedures and technical information when preparing complaint responses.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
Desirable Knowledge Candidates will ideally have exposure to one or more of the following areas:
- Responsive Repairs
- Planned Maintenance
- Damp and Mould
- Gas Safety Compliance
- Fire Safety
- Lift Safety and Maintenance
- Asbestos Management
- Electrical Safety
- Building and Property Compliance ("Big Six" compliance areas)
- Housing Management services
Systems Experience Experience of using case management, complaints management or CRM systems is desirable. Familiarity with SharePoint-based complaint management systems, document management and audit trail recording would be advantageous.
Other
Contract: Interim / Temporary Assignment Duration: Initial 3-6 months with strong likelihood of extension Location: East London (Hybrid Working) Office Attendance: Minimum 1 day per week in the East London office, with the remainder of the week worked remotely, subject to service requirements. Department: Customer Resolution & Complaints