Is this a formal complaint?

Why this matters

Some landlords refuse to log a formal complaint. They call it a service request, an enquiry, or just a query, and tell you to wait. Doing so denies you the statutory timescales and rights set out in the Code. Knowing whether your issue qualifies is the first step to making sure it is treated correctly.

Test 1: Is it an expression of dissatisfaction?

A complaint starts the moment you make clear you are not happy. You do not have to use the word "complaint", and you can raise it in any form: phone, email, letter, or in person.

• Yes: "I have asked you to fix the boiler three times and nothing has happened. I am very unhappy."
• Yes: "I think your decision to charge me for repairs is wrong."
• No: "Please can you arrange someone to look at the boiler." (This is a service request; see Test 3.)

Test 2: Is it about your landlord's action, lack of action, or standard of service?

The Code covers anything the landlord, their staff, or contractors acting on their behalf have done, or failed to do, that affects you.

• Yes: Repairs not done within the time promised.
• Yes: Calls or letters not responded to.
• Yes: Anti-social behaviour reports ignored.
• No: A dispute with a different organisation (e.g. the council over council tax, when your landlord is a housing association).

Test 3: Does it need a response or resolution from your landlord?

A formal complaint asks the landlord to put something right. If you are simply requesting a service for the first time, that is a service request, not a complaint. But if you are dissatisfied with how the service request was handled, that dissatisfaction itself counts as a complaint (§1.3).

Verdict

If your answer to all three tests is yes, this is a formal complaint under the Code. Your landlord must acknowledge it within 5 working days and provide a Stage 1 response within 10 working days.

If your answer to any test is no, your issue may belong somewhere else, usually as a service request first. We have a separate guide on how the complaint process works.

What does a force-acceptance letter look like?

If your landlord refuses to log your complaint, this is the kind of letter you can send. It cites the Code clauses they are required to follow.

Dear [your landlord],

I am writing to request that the issue below is formally logged as a
complaint under the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code 2024.

I first raised this with you on [date].

The Code defines a complaint at section 1.2 as "an expression of
dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions
or lack of action by the landlord…". I believe my report meets this
definition.

Under the Code I am entitled to acknowledgement within 5 working
days (§4.2) and a Stage 1 response within 10 working days (§4.3).

Please confirm in writing within 5 working days that my complaint
has been formally logged at Stage 1, with a reference number and
the date I will receive your Stage 1 response.

Yours sincerely,
[your name]

This is a sample for guidance only. TenantSafe generates a personalised version against your actual case once you sign up.

What if my landlord still refuses?

You have the right to refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service after 8 weeks without a satisfactory resolution, even if your landlord has not completed its internal process (Housing Ombudsman Scheme, paragraph 25).

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