Housing Complaints Officer

Stage 1 & 2 Complaints Officer

Location: 2 days a week work from home
Salary: £22.00 - £28.00phr umbrella dependent on experience
Contract: Full-Time, 6 month initial contract

Important Application Criteria

Please note: We are only able to consider applications from candidates who have previous complaints experience within Social Housing, Local Government, Council Housing, Housing Associations, ALMOs, or the Housing Ombudsman Service.

Applicants without relevant housing, council or Ombudsman complaints experience will unfortunately not be shortlisted for this position.

About the Role

I am seeking an experienced Stage 1 & 2 Complaints Officer to join a busy housing complaints team.

This role will be responsible for managing formal complaints from initial investigation through to resolution, ensuring responses are clear, accurate, customer-focused and completed within required timescales.

You will work closely with residents, contractors, repairs teams, housing officers, senior managers and external stakeholders to investigate complaints, identify service failures and support positive outcomes for customers.

Key Responsibilities

Manage Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints in line with organisational policy and statutory timescales.
Investigate complaints relating to housing, repairs, maintenance, disrepair, damp and mould, tenancy services and customer service.
Draft high-quality complaint responses that are clear, professional and evidence-based.
Liaise with internal departments, contractors and external partners to obtain information and resolve complaints.
Identify service failures and recommend appropriate remedies, including compensation where required.
Handle escalated complaints, Member Enquiries and Housing Ombudsman-related cases.
Maintain accurate complaint records on CRM and housing management systems.
Monitor complaint deadlines and ensure cases are progressed within agreed timescales.
Support service improvement by identifying trends, recurring issues and lessons learned.
Provide excellent customer service when dealing with residents, including vulnerable customers and complex cases.

Essential Requirements

Previous experience managing Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints within a housing, council, local authority, ALMO, housing association or Ombudsman environment.
Strong knowledge of housing complaints processes and complaint handling best practice.
Experience investigating complex complaints and producing written responses.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to manage high-volume caseloads and meet strict deadlines.
Experience liaising with residents, contractors, repairs teams and senior stakeholders.
Strong attention to detail and accurate record keeping.
Ability to remain calm and professional when dealing with challenging conversations.

Desirable Experience

Experience handling Housing Ombudsman cases.
Knowledge of the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code.
Experience with repairs, disrepair, damp and mould, planned works or housing maintenance complaints.
Experience using systems such as Northgate, NEC Housing, Civica, Dynamics 365, OHMS or similar.
Understanding of compensation, remedies and service failure assessment