i am making a formal complaint. so all you serial complainers out there help me - cos i've lost the plot

[Tortington]

some of you may be aware from another thread in february that i have been having difficulties with my inept social housing landlord. i work for a housing association adn therefore to say they are fucking with the wrong person is an understatement.

the background is that my dh has assigned the tenancy of our property to me. it was in his name - now its in mine. however due to the dates of when we get paid there were arrears on the rent account. and without pre-amble i was served a NOSP. (notice seeking posession) i wrote to the HA and told them that any arrears acrued before i signed the tenancy should be persued to Mr custy and not myself. i had checked my facts with shelter NB i was being a pedant. the HA had treated us poorly, the arrears are now paid - thats not the issue.

the issue is that my landlord has twice written to me in an obnoxious manner stating things as factual when they are not.

now, it seems that both my Housing Officer and regional housing manager are both devoid of all housing law knowledge.

so i am pissed therefore, becuase members of staff of a large HA are stating things as facts when they clearly are not.

however i dont know what outcome i want - i dont know what i am asking for

i am writing a letter at the moment but its nothing but a metaphorical sticking out of the tongue and a 'ner ner ner nerer' I am right and your clearly a fuckwit kind of letter.

thats not enough as this is the second letter in a formal complaint. i am complaining about the staff both having little knowledge of housing law.
what the hell do i want out of this?

I would normally refer you on to Custy, but as you are Custy, I am a little lost on wise words - so just Good Luck!

You seem to have had an awful lot of crap recently.

I would:

• State clearly what they have told you that is incorrect.
• Explain that you have a good understanding of housing law and that most of their tenants won't be so lucky and so are dependent on them doing their job.
• Ask how they intend to address the issue.
• Tell them what you will do if you don't get a satisfactory response.

I would want assurance that my file is up to date and correct - can you ask to see it, quoting the Data Protection Act? (I know nothing about the DPA or housing law, btw, but I am good at complaining!)

I would want to acertain that the staff at your HA are up to date on housing law.

I would want to register my concern at the unprofessional manner in which I had been treated, and the length to which the HA's ineptitude stretches.

I would want to kick someone in the fanjo for good measure, but don't do that.

Get as much as poss in writing - keep phone calls to a minimum and ALWAYS bcc yourself on emails.

hth

Who regulates Housing Authorities? Is it the local council?

I would write a letter quoting him and then stating why he is wrong. Send a copy to him and send a copy to the regulators and also your MP. Let him know who the copies have gone to.

Tell him that the reason you have done is is because you are concerned that other tenants are getting this misinformation and if so, are being denied their rights.

i have to go thrrough the HA complains process then i can go to the Housing Ombudsman.

ive gone through the housing officer and regional manager i am now onto the area manager!

any more wonderful comments please?

I would say that you have been through their complaints procedure and I would approach the Ombudsman with a brief rundown of all your correspondance so far.

If they feel that you have not completed the HA complaints procedure then they will say so but keep your info on file, however if they feel that they are needed to step in now, they will do.

I would send the Area Manager copies of all correspondance, highlighting the inaccuracies, along with a covering letter asking what they are going to do about it.

ty ty ty am off to write letter.

Copy and paste it here so we can offer you more of our invaluable wisdom!

And ask for an apology as you found the tone of their letters highly upsetting and alarmingly indicative of eejitwewevils at the helm.

And do quote "eejitwewevils"!

thank you for your loverly phrases - plucked almost verbatim and inserted in the second page of letter in whcih i place my dastardly demands reads thus.

Please tell me how you will address the following issues ( in writing).

1.I want to register my concern at the unprofessional manner in which I have been treated, and the length to which HA staffs ineptitude stretches. Please can you tell me how you will address this lack of basic knowledge.

2.I also stated that I would like a separate rent account from Mr custy. If I wish to opt out of social housing, the arrears ( which are not mine) could be seriously detrimental to my chances of accessing a mortgage. Ms. H/A manager said she couldn?t do this, but didn?t say why. I would like a separate account.

3.I want an admission from yourselves that the information given to me was wrong.

4.An admission that I should not have been pursued for the arrears dated before I signed the assigned tenancy on the 22nd January 2007.

If on the 22nd January the Housing officer Mr. H/O has asked of my pay date I would have readily told him the 15th of the month. I would have been 3 weeks in arrears by the 15th February. Not 6 weeks when one would serve a NOSP.

However on the 15th March I would have been a week in front, the joys of monthly wages. One small question could have avoided all of this. One small question and a basic knowledge of housing law could have prevented my time on this matter, your staff time on this matter and it could have prevented the anger and distress on my part for myself and my children who through our personal circumstances had already suffered enough.

ner ner ner ner ner thunk i'd let yer see what you created.
ty ty ty

Bloody good letter Custy! I think you need to insert some quotes by him though and then run through why those quotes are in fact wrong.

Tell them you want a speedy resolve of the matter.

Let us know how it goes.

You've also got to get the word unprofessional in there doll

Ooooooooooh yes!