Customer care standards

We are committed to excellent customer service, and ’improving services to our customers’ is a key business plan priority.

These standards set out what our customers - primarily residents - can expect from the organisation and help to deliver a more consistent service.

Some services may have additional service standards. These are on the website or can be sent to residents on request.

Contact by telephone

• We aim to answer 95% of all calls received by our Customer Service Centre within 60 seconds.
• We will deal with your enquiry in a polite and helpful manner.
• The person answering the phone will give you their name and service area.
• We will aim to resolve your enquiry at the first point of contact.

Contact by emails, letters or social media

• If you email a general service email address you will receive an automated reply so you know we have received it.
• If you email an individual officer you can expect an acknowledgement within two working days.
• If the staff member you emailed is away you will receive an out of office notification giving their return date and the name and contact details of an alternative contact.
• We will respond to your email within three working days from the acknowledgement.
• If we cannot respond to your email fully within two working days, we will send you a holding response, giving you a date for full response.
• We will respond to letters within 10 working days from date of receipt and if we cannot respond fully, we will send you a holding response giving you a date for a full response.
• If you contact us by social media you can expect an acknowledgement within two working days and a response by the end of five working days.
• We will write to you in plain English and we will provide the full name and job title of the person writing to you.

Housing Online and the Mobile App

• We will promote use of Housing Online (our customer online account) and My Haringey Home (our app for reporting repairs and maintenance issues) as a way of doing business with us at a time and place to suit you.
• The online account/app will enable you to report repairs at any time and keep track of repairs reported to us. It will also enable you to make payments and check your rent account whenever you wish.

When we visit you

• Visiting staff will always wear and show you their identification badge.
• We will explain the reason for the visit.
• We will let you know as far in advance as possible if we need to cancel the visit and arrange another visit.
• We will leave a card if you are out, telling you how to contact us.

When you visit us

• We will keep our public areas clean and tidy, have clear signage and display up-to-date information.
• We will ensure reception areas are accessible to people with disabilities.
• We will offer you a private interview room where possible.

Complaints and feedback

• We will acknowledge your complaint within two working days of receipt.
• We will send a full response to a stage one complaint within 10 working days from date of acknowledgement.
• We will use your feedback and learning from our complaints to help improve services.

What you can do to help

• Where possible, use our online services, as these are the quickest, most accessible and efficient ways of communicating with us.
• Make sure you and your visitors respect your neighbours and your home and estate.
• Treat our staff with courtesy and respect.
• Stick to the terms of your tenancy/lease agreement.
• Pay your rent and charges on time and in full.
• Cooperate with us when we need access to your home.

We will ensure that personal data we hold about you is kept securely and processed in accordance with our data protection policy.