Window-related complaints information sheet

Window-related complaints refer to issues you report to your landlord about the windows in your home.

Typical window complaints include:

• condition and functionality issues
• unsafe windows for example broken glass
• condensation and damp
• security concerns like locks not working
• energy efficiency, including draughts and gaps
• repairs and maintenance delays

Contact your landlord to report the condition of your windows. You should:

• ask your landlord about its repair policy
• tell your landlord if the property is not secure
• let your landlord know if you need support
• work with your landlord to provide as much information as you can
• explain how the window condition is affecting you at home

Your landlord should have a repairs policy that explains how they will respond. This could include:

• treating the repair as an emergency if the property is not secure or safe
• assessing the risk to the health and safety of you and your household
• fixing the problem properly instead of using temporary solutions while waiting for planned maintenance work
• sending an independent surveyor to your property
• provide clear and accessible information to residents regarding the operation of new windows

Window landlord expectations

Reporting window condition is a service request. This is different from making a complaint about your landlord.

People often call both ‘a complaint’ but they are different.

You can complain if you’re unhappy with how your landlord has handled your service request.

A complaint might be about:

• the level of investigation or action taken by the landlord
• the time it took the landlord to investigate or respond
• any action it should not have done, or you are unhappy with

To do this, you must use the landlord's formal complaint procedure.

Landlords' response to complaints

Your landlord must reply to a complaint in line with its complaint procedure. Our Complaint Handling Code sets out the timescales a landlord must respond to a complaint:

Stage 1:

• acknowledge the complaint within 5 working days of it being received
• respond, in writing, within 10 working days of the date the complaint was acknowledged

Stage 2:

• acknowledge a request to escalate the complaint within 5 working days of it being received
• respond, in writing, within 20 working days of the escalation request being acknowledged

You can bring a complaint to us for investigation if your landlord does not resolve your issues through their complaint procedure.

Tell us:

• what went wrong
• what your landlord should do to put things right

We need your landlord's stage 2 response before we can help. This is their final answer to your complaint.

You can refer your complaint to us within 12 months of your landlord's stage 2 response. We’re unlikely to investigate complaints referred after this deadline unless there are good reasons for the delay.

Help if your landlord does not reply to your complaint

We can help you get a response from your landlord if they do not follow their complaint procedure or our Complaint Handling Code.

Send us a copy of the complaint to your landlord. This helps us understand if your landlord follows its complaint procedure.

The easiest way to do this is by using our helpful online form. The form will ask you about your complaint and you can upload supporting evidence.

Online complaint form

You can also phone, email, or write to us.