We believe everyone has the right to live in a safe, warm, and well-maintained home, but occasionally we don’t get everything right.
We take reports of disrepair seriously and work hard to resolve issues as quickly as possible, but if you are unhappy with how a repair has been handled, you have the right to make a complaint directly to us.
Unresolved issues will be escalated internally, before ultimately being dealt with by an independent housing ombudsman or the law courts.
Coastline supports the disrepair legislation and the role of the housing ombudsman to ensure that all our customers receive the best service.
However, an alternative process which can prove costly and time-consuming is the involvement of “no win, no fee” solicitors, who routinely contact customers offering to represent them with their complaint.
Most claims companies are trying to make money from housing landlords and often our customers receive very little of the money recovered, as it goes to the claim handlers.
In fact, after the costs of insurance, administration and other sundries, you may not get anything at all and could be left to foot the bill.
A recent disrepair case, in which a no win, no fee company took Coastline to court in Truro, resulted in our customer having to potentially pay £14,000 in costs after the Judge ruled all complaints to be not proven.
Coastline’s contracts manager Neil Williams said: “It is not as simple as these companies saying ‘no win, no fee’ to customers, because anyone making an unsuccessful disrepair claim must realise that if they don’t take out insurance, they may be liable to pay costs.
“Depending on the size of the case, insurance alone can cost as much as £5,000, or up to 45 per cent of the potential claim, so we urge anyone who has concerns about repairs to contact us directly and we will deal with it as swiftly and efficiently as we can.”
Coastline urges any of our customers who are contacted by these claims companies to instead follow our own robust complaints procedure.
We will always put the works right but if we are found to be at fault, we pay compensation in line with the housing ombudsman, including legal costs without any deductions.
If you have a complaint, click here: Customer feedback - Coastline Housing