Before you consider making a formal complaint, please try to get the problem resolved by contacting the member of staff or their manager providing the service you want to complain about. Tell them the problem and they will try and sort it out. In many cases they will deal with your complaint on the spot.
Some complaints follow a seperate process for appeals and complaints procedures. Please use the links below to submit the complaint to the correct service area.
Other types of complaints and appeals
- Adult social care complaints
- Anti-social behaviour complaint
- Childrens services complaints
- Council Tax related appeals
- Fraud complaints
- Housing benefits appeals
- Reporting something, please report problems such as housing repairs or potholes though the relevant web page and form instead. It's the quickest way to get the problem fixed.
- School complaints, schools have their own independent complaints procedures
Housing register reviews
You have a right to a review of a housing register application decision and final outcome including bandings.
To request a review, you must have received a decision letter with a reference number. Reviews typically only change if your situation has significantly changed. The process may take several months.
You must submit a review request within 21 days of the letter date, including a detailed statement explaining why the decision is unreasonable. You can email your request to housing.reviews@lbhf.gov.uk with your housing register number.
How to make a formal corporate complaint
If you're reporting an issue for the first time, please give us the opportunity to resolve it before submitting a formal complaint. Each council service can address common issues directly, saving you from waiting up to 10 working days for a formal response from our complaints team. You can contact them by phone, in writing, or online.
Find contact details for the service you need
We have a two-stage complaints process, as set out in the corporate complaints policy.
If you have contacted the relevant service already and your issue has not been resolved, you can complete a complaints form.
Please include the following details:
- Contact information - Provide all the relevant contact information and tell us about any supported needs or accessibility support you may require
- Recent and historical information - Share any relevant information including historical details, including relevant dates of contact or reference numbers associated with your complaint
- Property address - If your complaint is related to housing, include the property address, the specific issue, and whether you have previously reported this to us. State your household status to the property (e.g., council tenant, leaseholder, living in the property but not on the tenancy, or reporting on behalf of someone else)
- Previous contacts - Let us know when and how you have advised us of this issue before. Provide any contact names or team names, if available
This information will help us assess and investigate your complaint more effectively from the start. Thank you.
We will aknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and respond to complaints within 10 working days of the date of aknowledgement at stage 1.
Stage 1
Your complaint at stage 1 will be investigated and dealt with by the service team where the complaint originates. Some responses may come from our suppliers or partners.
Once your complaint has been recorded, we'll respond within 10 working days.
Stage 2
If you are not satisfied with your Stage 1 response, write to the resident experience team and explain why. Your Stage 1 response will explain how to do this. The team will then consider your complaint and decide whether it will be recorded at Stage 2.
If your complaint is recorded at Stage 2, we will aknowledge your complaint within 5 working days. We will investigate and respond within 20 working days of the date of aknowledgement.
Submit your formal corporate complaint
1) Online. Quick and easy to use. You can be sure we've received it; you'll get a reference number; you can track the progress of your complaint online and you can email your designated caseworker once we've assigned your complaint.
Make a formal corporate complaint online
2) Email your complaint to residentexpteam@lbhf.gov.uk. You won't receive a reference number straight away, but we'll consider your complaint within 5 working days and send you an acknowledgement.
3) Call us on 020 8753 2456. However, if you have access to the internet we would recommend using the methods above. You are welcome to call us if you need any help with making a complaint online or by email. Our telephone line is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
4) Write to the Resident Experience Team, Room 229, Hammersmith Town Hall, King Street, London W6 9JU.
Ombudsman
You can contact the ombudsman to request an independent review of about how the council handled your complaint.
It is important that you have given us an opportunity to address your complaint at Stage 1 and Stage 2.