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Board Statement
We are pleased to present the Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report for 2024 on behalf of Square Roots. This report serves as a key part of our commitment to the statutory Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code. We view complaints not as setbacks but as valuable insights into areas where we can improve, which aligns with our culture of continuous improvement and high customer satisfaction.
We completed our first homes and started welcoming customers in September 2023, so 2024 marks the first full year for Square Roots, and as a newcomer in the affordable housing sector, it is crucial for us to establish trust with our customers. This includes cultivating an environment where feedback, especially through complaints, is encouraged and acted upon. We are particularly proud of our small number of complaints and our 95% overall satisfaction score in our tenant satisfaction survey, which reflects the positive impact we are having within our communities
While we celebrate these successes, we also recognize the challenges ahead. As we expand our services and our customer base, it is imperative that we continue to provide a high standard of service. The data from complaints will play an increasingly significant role in helping us make informed decisions on how to enhance our service offerings, and we are committed to building on this foundation in the years to come.
In line with the new Housing Ombudsman Code (April 2024), we have conducted a thorough self-assessment of our complaint handling processes. This review has highlighted areas where we can further improve, and our Non-Executive Board Member, who is our Member Responsible for Complaints, has provided oversight and scrutiny to ensure our assessment is both honest and comprehensive. Our self-assessment, including actions for improvement and timelines, has been published on our website for transparency.
We remain dedicated to enhancing our service, addressing any shortcomings, and ensuring that Square Roots continues to be a trusted provider of affordable housing solutions across Greater London.
We look forward to building on the progress we have made and will continue to make customer feedback a cornerstone of our journey towards greater excellence.
Complaints Performance
2024
We received no complaints between 1st January and 31st December 2024.
| Complaints Stage | Stage One | Stage Two |
| Complaints Received | 0 | 0 |
2023
This is a significant improvement on our 2023 performance, as we received 5 complaints:
| Complaints Stage | Stage One | Stage Two | Stage Three |
| Complaints Received | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Out of the 3 Stage one complaints received, 2 were regarding repair and maintenance, and 1 was about Management of homes.
Findings of Non-Compliance
We were not issued with any Complaint Handling Failure Orders by the Housing Ombudsman, therefore we have received no findings of non-compliance.
Service Improvements
Some service improvements were implemented in 2024 as a result of complaints received in 2023.
Compensation
Square Roots goal is to provide excellent customer service; however, we acknowledge that mistakes can happen and recognise that sometimes our actions may cause
inconvenience or loss for customers. When this happens, we try to remedy the
situation, this can be by paying compensation, or offering other remedies, such as
an apology. Square Roots received a complaint where it was clear financial redress was required, the case was resolved, however there was a clear need for a policy in order to ensure consistency and be clear what remedy should be applied to each situation. In July 2024 we introduced a Compensation & Redress policy providing transparency for our customers.
Advocates
Square Roots understands that in some cases our customers may need an advocate to act on their behalf in certain circumstance/s. A complaint highlighted that Square Roots were not formally capturing this information or utilising it properly. As a result, we made changes to our procedure, formalising our approach to advocates, making the process more transparent for our customers.
Annual Self-Assessment
The purpose of the self-assessment is to set out how landlords like Square Roots demonstrate their complaint handling service complies with the provisions of the Complaint Handling Code. In addition, the self-assessment also supports us to inform our customers about service provision.
A copy of our self-assessment for 2024 can be found below.
For more information about our complaints performance, you can visit the Housing Ombudsman’s website for any annual landlord’s performance reports https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk