Annual complaint performance and service improvement report 2024/25

Introduction  

The Annual Complaints and Service Improvement Report is an annual regulatory report that requires landlords and housing associations to report the number of complaints they’ve received that year, the lessons they’ve learned, and service improvements made and planned.

Here at Origin we are committed to providing services that make people’s lives easier. We seek feedback from residents on our services through monthly satisfaction surveys and encourage residents to let us know if we have got things wrong so that we can put them right.  

Our rolling monthly satisfaction survey results tells us that in 2024/25, 64% of residents who rent from us were satisfied with the landlord services we provided, which is a 2% point increase from the year before. 74% of residents who rent thought their home was safe (an increase of 5% points from the previous year), and 71% (an increase of 4% points from the previous year), were satisfied with our repairs service. It has been positive to see improvements in these results from the previous year.

We compare our performance via Housemark, and this shows our year end position on overall satisfaction compared to our London benchmark to be aligned to the median position (LCRA only). We want to do better and continue to respond to resident feedback in improving our services.       

This report sets out how we’ve reviewed our compliance with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code and how we have performed in our handling of complaints for our Customers between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.

*Terminology .

LCRA (Low Cost Rental Accommodation):

This refers to affordable rental housing options, where the cost to rent is lower than typical market rates.

LCHO (Low Cost Home Ownership):

This refers to affordable home ownership schemes, where the price to buy a home is lower than market rates.

Our Board’s response to the report

In 2024/25 Vicky Bonner was the Chair of the Origin Board and our Member Responsible for Complaints.

Vicky said :

“I am pleased to reflect on our progress in 2024/25 and share my thoughts on where we must strengthen our efforts further in 2025/26.

This year’s complaints performance report demonstrates a clear commitment to transparency, learning, and service improvement. I’m particularly encouraged by the steps we’ve taken to embed learning from complaints and to deliver tangible changes for our residents.

We have also seen improvements across our wider landlord services, with customer satisfaction up by two percentage points overall and satisfaction on 11 of the TSM satisfaction metrics better than the median for our London benchmark. These reflect well on the wider work to align service delivery with our Origin Oath customer service principles .

It is particularly positive to note:

A reduction in Stage 1 complaint volumes (from 920 to 830), suggesting improvements in some areas of frontline service delivery

Increased operational focus on communication, particularly through contractor accountability and internal collaboration

Resident-centred changes to complaints language, tone, and our acknowledgment of the challenges, with our continued focus on follow-through on promised actions

A strong commitment to the Housing Ombudsman Code and best practice, with no complaint handling failure orders received in the period

At the same time, this report rightly highlights areas where we must do better. The rise in Stage 2 escalations (from 113 to 212) is a signal that we are not always getting it right first time. We must ensure that when actions are promised in complaint responses, these are delivered in full and monitored robustly. This will not only reduce repeat contact and escalation but will also restore greater confidence in our ability to act decisively and compassionately.

Additionally, while our performance is broadly in line with London peers, the rate of maladministration (74%) across 13 Ombudsman determinations, including two severe maladministration findings, reinforces the need to focus on quality, early resolution, and internal accountability. The rise in ordered compensation also highlights the cost, both financial and reputational, of unresolved issues.

As we move through 2025/26, I am reassured by the clarity of our action plan. Our continued investment in staff training, system improvements, service delivery, and contractor accountability will be critical. But perhaps most importantly, we must continue to focus on preventing complaints in the first place, through better joined-up services, early intervention, and a deeper understanding of residents’ individual needs and vulnerabilities.

I remain committed to supporting the organisation in holding itself to account and in ensuring that every complaint is treated as an opportunity to improve”.

Our complaint handling performance 

Complaints received per 1000 homes 2024/25 (Tenant satisfaction measure TSM CH01)

Stage one (LCRA) – 88.61 (in 2023/24 -131)
Stage one (LCHO) – 146.17 (in 2023/24 - 94)
Stage two (LCRA) – 88.61 (in 2023/24 - 14)
Stage two (LCHO) – 27.32 (in 2023/24 - 18.8)

Percentage of complaints responded to on time 2024/25 (TSM CH02)

Stage one (LCRA) – 95.15%
Stage one (LCHO) – 93.46%
Stage two (LCRA) – 94.35%
Stage two (LCHO) – 65%

Percentage of complaints responded to on time overall in 2023/24 (TSM CH02)

Stage one (overall) - 99.7%

Stage two (overall) 90.3%

Number of complaints we have refused to accept 

One. This was in line with our Complaints Policy.  

Outcome of complaint 

In 2024/25, we fully or partially upheld 69% of stage 1 complaints and 89% of stage 2 complaints.  

Satisfaction with complaint handling  (TSM TP09)

31% of our LCRA residents were satisfied with our handling of their complaint, up 2.6% points from last year, and just above the median for our London benchmark. This reflects the improvements we have made to strengthen our approach over the last year. LCHO residents had a lower level of satisfaction at 14.85% and we acknowledge we need to do better for this customer group.

Transactional survey

We also carry out transactional surveys after a service has been provided, and satisfaction with our complaints process shows:

Question	Target	Satisfaction
Final outcome of complaint	40%	48%
Way your complaint was handled	40%	42.5%

In 2024/25 we saw an overall reduction in the volume of stage 1 complaints, with 830 stage 1 complaints being issued – this is compared to last year (2023/24), which was 920. However, we witnessed an increase in escalations of complaints to stage 2 from 113 (in year 2023/24) to 212 in year 24/25.

We recognise this is an area we need to focus our improvements on, and work to reduce complaint escalations to stage 2 and to work on fully resolving issues at stage 1 of our complaints process. One of the reasons for residents escalating their complaint to stage 2 of our complaints process is because action plans promised at stage 1 were not being fully implemented. We acknowledge this is disappointing, and we’re working harder to focus on this in 2025/26.

We are performing well in responding to complaints within the Code timeframes and our transactional survey (after a service has been requested/provided) demonstrates the positive impact that our complaints team are having in putting things right .    

We have performed well in our responses to complaints and within the required timescales. Our performance on responses to stage 1 complaints within target is better than the top quartile of our peer group and above the median for stage 2 responses .

Our overall volume of complaints per 1000 homes was higher than our peer group. We welcome complaints and are proactive in logging all reports of service dissatisfaction.

Whilst it is important to handle complaints well and in time, this coming year we are focused on getting our service right the first time more often, to reduce the need for residents to have to complain in the first place.     

Positive comments from residents about our complaints handling process included: 

“I felt as though Origin Housing dealt with my complaint quickly and efficiently. They took all the necessary steps to get the issue resolved”

“It was obvious that Origin had put a lot of care and thought into their response following all of the information I had included in the complaint regarding the delay to my repair. Their communication and decision-making was very thoughtful and the issue I had complained about was resolved within a week which was good”

“The customer service and communication I received throughout this complaint was excellent as I was kept well informed on what was happening”

Comments from residents telling us where to improve included:  

“Whilst complaints are ongoing there needs to be more communication between the contractors that are doing the work. New workers were being sent who didn't know the situation which caused delays in the work”

“Origin could have applied a less formal tone when acknowledging my complaint via letter. I felt like their response had a lot of legal terms which could have been replaced by more informal language and an apology. A less robotic response would have been good”

“The complaints team are pleasant, but I cannot see how the work in my home is not being done as a result of the complaint. I have received compensation and apologies, but still the work has not been arranged. I think that the complaints team needs to be more pragmatic, and hands on when it comes to the resolution of complaints”

Some of the actions we have taken in response to these comments:

We have introduced new processes, including fortnightly operational meetings with our repair’s contractor, to ensure we strengthen our approach to communication
In April 2025, we revisited with the complaints team a full day training session on our Origin Oath and Customer Experience delivery. This included a module on “We are the Language We Use” which focussed on empathy in the complaint handling process and tailoring responses to suit the needs and requirements of the audience.
We have improved and strengthened our operational approach, and continue to do so, to ensure actions plans promised within complaint responses are followed through and completed. We continue to work hard in this space and drive continuous improvement

Complaint Themes

The top 5 drivers for complaints in 24/25 were :

Delay to repair(s)

Condition of Resident’s Home

Lack of Communication/Failure to keep informed

Missed Appointment - Contractor

Condition of Communal Area

For the repairs service we have identified the need for strengthened monitoring of work in progress, especially where jobs are more complex or the customer has additional needs. Delays in raising work after a surveyor inspection and insufficient investigation of leaks and root cause analysis of damp and mould also contributed to complaints.

Learning from complaints 

We take learning from complaints and feedback seriously, using insights from both complaints and independent customer surveys to drive continuous service improvements. In 2024/25, we implemented several key initiatives, and we will continue to focus on these areas in 2025/26 to reduce complaints, improve service delivery, and ensure issues are addressed first time.

Key Areas of Improvement:

Customer Service Enhancement: Embedded the Origin Oath, reinforcing our core service principles to provide a more consistent and empathetic customer experience.
Staff Training and Empowerment: Focused on upskilling our contact centre team to handle a wider range of queries with increased efficiency and professionalism.
Proactive Communication to customers : Regular updates provided on communal issues affecting blocks and estates to keep residents informed.
Repairs Performance: Focused on improving communal and specialist repairs, with increased accountability for contractors.
Cross-Team Collaboration: Enhanced internal cooperation to address complex estate and block-level issues more effectively.
Damp and Mould Management: Strengthened approach to the identification and management of damp and mould concerns, focusing on consistency and proactivity.
Managing Agents Oversight: Improved relationship management with managing agents and a more rigorous review of service charges to ensure value for money.

System and Process Enhancements:

Service Delivery Field: Introduced a field in our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to capture how residents' disabilities or support needs impact service delivery, allowing us to better tailor our responses and support.
Automated Classifications: Added automated classification for Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs) under the Building Safety Act, ensuring accurate and timely reporting.
Complaint Categorisation Improvements: Refined Reason for Complaint and subcategory fields to improve case management, particularly around property conditions and service charges.
Contractor Accountability: Added a CRM field to identify complaints related to contractors, ensuring faster resolution and greater accountability for service failures.

Additional Service area Improvements:

Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Monitoring: Enhanced tracking of ASB cases and linked internal transfer lists to the CRM system, improving transparency and response times.
Lettings Process Adjustments: Streamlined the lettings process by offering more reasonable timeframes for document submissions to support new applicants fairly.
Tenancy Sustainability: Revised our arrears recovery policy at certain schemes to extend notice periods for residents on licence agreements, helping to prevent evictions and support tenancy retention.

Estate Services:

Procured a new window cleaning contractor following resident feedback about poor performance.
Involved residents in the procurement of a new grounds maintenance contract, ensuring their voices are shaping the outcome.

Security and Communication:

Launched security warden patrol pilots in Camden and Enfield in response to ASB concerns, including drug use and unauthorised access.
Increased transparency by advertising neighbourhood walkabouts in advance and improving block-level communication.

These actions demonstrate our commitment to acting on feedback, improving service quality, and ensuring that residents' needs are met efficiently and effectively.

Housing Ombudsman  

We are a member of the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS), an independent body that reviews and investigates complaints when customers remain unhappy with their landlord following the complaint process.  

We work closely with the Ombudsman and use the insights from determinations made against us to improve the services we provide to residents.  

We also take learning points from the Spotlight reports published by the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) as well as their determinations and special investigation reports into other landlords. We continue to review all determinations we receive and work to improve and enhance our services based on the Housing Ombudsman findings, and we continue to build this best practice into our on-going approach. 

We have completed our self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman complaint handling code to ensure our continued compliance and the self assessment can be found here.

Housing Ombudsman Landlord report .This link https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/landlords/  takes you to the  Housing Ombudsman website where you can read their latest report about us, April 2024 – March 2025.

Determinations summary 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 

In this period, we received 13 Housing Ombudsman determinations, a reduction of 3 from the previous year

The Ombudsman found 23 findings of maladministration across the 13 determinations (more than one finding of maladministration can be found in a single determination)

Our maladministration % rate was 74%, against a national maladministration rate for landlords of a similar size and type of 70%

Severe maladministration  

We had two severe maladministration findings in 2024/25.

Orders of compensation  

The total compensation the Housing Ombudsman ordered us to pay across the 13 determinations was £19,608 an increase from 23/24, which was £9,655 

Complaint failure handling orders  

We did not receive any complaint failure handling order  

Looking Forward  

Our focus continuing into 2025/26 is to: 

Reduce the need for residents to complain by getting the service right at the start
Continue to work to sustain recent positive changes to our repairs service
Ensure stage 1 responses are comprehensive and action plans promised at stage 1 are monitored and completed to reduce the need for stage 2 escalations
Make sure we have knowledge of and consider residents' additional support needs when handling service requests or complaints
Enhance our customer service culture with a refocus on our Origin Oath customer service principles
Improve internal collaboration to prevent delays when a cross-team approach is needed to resolve service issues or complaints