The Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code Self-Assessment

The Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code sets out how social landlords must handle complaints from residents. From 1 April 2024, the Code became a statutory requirement for social landlords. 

The Council is the landlord for its Council-owned housing stock. This means the Council must complete and publish an annual self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code. 

The self-assessment helps show whether the Council’s landlord complaints process complies with the Code. It also supports transparency for residents about how complaints are handled, how complaint performance is monitored and how learning from complaints is used to improve services. 

Annual self-assessment 

The Council's latest Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code self-assessment is available here: 

View our latest Housing Ombudsman complaint handling Code self-assessment

The self-assessment is reviewed and approved through the Council's governance arrangements before publication. 

Annual complaints performance and service improvement report 

The Council also publishes an annual complaints Performance and service improvement report for complaints about Council landlord services. 

This report provides information about complaint handling, performance, complaint themes, outcomes, learning and service improvements relating to the Council's housing stock.

View the latest annual complaints, performance and service improvement report:

Bradford Council housing complaints report 2024-25

Governing body response 

The Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code requires the Council’s governing body response to be published alongside the annual complaints performance and service improvement report. 

The governing body response is available here:

Governance body response to annual report 2024-25 

Services managed on the Council's behalf

Some Council landlord services are delivered on the Council's behalf by another organisation. This includes homes managed by Incommunities. 

The Council remains responsible as landlord for ensuring that complaints about Council landlord services are handled in line with the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code. 

Where another organisation completes or publishes information about complaint handling for services it manages on the Council's behalf, this does not replace the Council's own responsibilities as landlord. 

Further information about In Communities own complaint handling information is available on the Incommunities website. 

How to make a complaint about Council landlord services 

If you want to report a service or maintenance issue or make a complaint about Council landlord services, please visit: Service requests and complaints about your social housing.