Housing complaints increase by over 500% in a year

Complaints to Guildford Borough Council's housing department have increased dramatically over 12 months

Housing complaints to Guildford Borough Council in Surrey increased by over 500% in 2023/24, with officers noting the trend is “continuing”.

The figures were revealed in the council housing ombudsman's complaint report, published in August, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Complaints ranged from moving house, the condition of the property, renting, failing to complete repairs and slow responses.

The council said it was committed to providing an excellent service.

Failure to complete housing repairs saw a 350% increase in the number of complaints from the previous year.

Issues relating to damp and mould have also leapt up by 230% to 10 in total.

The number of complaints that were escalated to the second stage increased from three to 20.

The report said: “We [the housing department] are driving these increased levels by failing to do what we have promised to do.”

The report said it was a “healthy indicator” the process, and publicity around it, is “allowing tenants to make informed decisions”.

'Put things right'

A council spokesman said: “We are committed to providing an excellent service for our customers, but we know we don’t always get it right and we recognise our customers have a right to complain when they feel we have fallen short.

"As well as giving us the chance to put things right, complaints give us valuable feedback on our services that help us improve.”

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