Please refer to our Corporate Privacy Notice and service specific Privacy Notices for further details of how we process your personal information and your rights.

Whilst our complaints procedure outlines the formal processes to be followed, occasionally variations to the process may be required eg: by-passing Stage One and escalating the complaint to Stage Two.

Stage One - Express Your Dissatisfaction: Under Stage One, we will aim to provide a full response within:

  • 10 working days' of receipt of a Housing Services/landlord related complaint;
  • 15 working days' of receipt of a complaint which is not housing/landlord related.

If this timescale cannot be met, a revised timescale will be agreed with you. 

Describe your complaint as fully and clearly as you can by telling us which members of staff, contractors or service you have dealt with. You may do this by filling in the online complaint form or by letter or email, Relay UK, telephone, or by printing a copy of the complaint form and posting this to us. 

You can ask someone to help you with your complaint at any of the Stages of our complaints procedure: this can be the Citizen's Advice Bureau or other organisations (see the list at the end of this page), or your local Councillor, or a friend or relative as long as they have your permission to represent you. We will help you to complete the complaint form if you ask us.

It will also be helpful if you send us copies of any letters or documents about your complaint. Please tell us what you'd like us to do to put things right. Send your complaint to the Corporate Complaints Officer via Customer Services (contact details are at the end of this page).

When you use our on-line complaint form, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement of your complaint and a call reference number. Your complaint will be referred to the Corporate Complaints Officer and the service Manager responsible for investigating your complaint.

If you complain to us by post or email, you will normally receive an acknowledgement within 7 days, unless a substantive response is provided within that time.

When the investigation is complete, the service Manager will write to you and explain how and why they have come to their conclusions.

If your complaint is upheld (ie: the outcome of the review finds in your favour), you will receive an apology and where appropriate, be given details of any action that we will take to remedy the situation or at least put things right for the future.

If your complaint is partially upheld (ie: the outcome of the review finds in your favour, in part), you will receive an apology and explanation and where appropriate, be given details of any action that we will take to remedy the situation or at least put things right for the future.

If your complaint is not upheld (ie: the outcome of the review does not find in your favour), you will be given an explanation. You will be given the name and contact details of the Corporate Complaints Officer, and advised what to do next if you are still not satisfied and wish to pursue your complaint under Stage Two. Please note that in certain circumstances, you may not be given the opportunity for a Stage Two review. The Council will always provide its reasons in the Stage One decision.

Stage Two Escalation:  Under Stage Two, we will aim to provide a full response to you within 20 working days' of receipt of your request for a review. If this timescale cannot be met, a revised timescale will be agreed with you.

May only be invoked if you have exhausted the Stage One process or are asking for an internal review of our decision, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004, or Data Protection Act 2018. You must set out clearly and in detail, why you remain dissatisfied.

You should write to the Corporate Complaints Officer via Customer Services (contact details are at the end of this page) You may do this by filling in the online complaint form or by letter, fax, email, Relay UK, telephone, or by printing a copy of the complaint form and posting this to us. 

You should make it clear that you want to invoke Stage Two of our complaints procedure.

When you use our on-line complaint form, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement and a call reference number. Your Stage Two review request will be referred to the Corporate Complaints Officer and the relevant service Director. You will be notified of the name of the person (an individual independent of the Stage One decision) responsible for considering and reviewing your complaint afresh and the likely timescale.

Because we are obliged to keep records of all formal complaints, we will need to agree a detailed, written statement of your complaint with you before embarking on a formal investigation. The person who considers and reviews your complaint under this Stage of our complaints procedure will:

  • Make sure that your complaint is clear
  • Check that the Stage One procedure has been completed
  • Review, with the person who dealt with your initial approach, the reasons for their response
  • Consider the issues afresh for themselves
  • Consult the Council's lawyers if there are any doubts about our statutory powers relevant to the issues
  • Decide upon their own findings in the light of these considerations and
  • Write to you setting out their findings

The review will produce a detailed response, which will contain sufficient information to show that your complaint has been fully investigated.

This will be our final response to you under our complaints procedure. If your complaint is upheld (ie: the outcome of the review finds in your favour), you will receive an apology and, where appropriate, be given details of any action that we will take to remedy the situation or at least put things right for the future.

If your complaint is partially upheld (ie: the outcome of the review finds in your favour, in part), you will receive an apology and explanation and where appropriate, be given details of any action that we will take to remedy the situation or at least put things right for the future.

If your complaint is not upheld (ie: the outcome of the review does not find in your favour) you will be given an explanation. You will be given details of your right to complain to the relevant  Ombudsman, if you remain dissatisfied.

If your complaint concerns perceived harassment or unfair treatment by us because of your age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation, the following body is the ultimate authority to which to complain, following the Stage Two process:

Equality Advisory and Support Service FPN4431
Tel: 0808 800 0082 -Web: Equality Advisory Service

Stage Three Escalation - Housing Ombudsman Investigation - see the Council's housing landlord functions

Stage Three Escalation - Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Investigation

We hope to resolve most complaints internally, but if you are not satisfied with the Stage Two response, or if we do not give you an answer within a reasonable time, you can ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to investigate your complaint. Although you can approach the Ombudsman at any time (in writing, by email, telephone or text), you must first give us a chance to answer the complaint.

Subject to the following exceptions, the Ombudsman will not accept a complaint unless it has been through all stages of our complaints procedure:

  • Complaints about homelessness
  • Complaints by or on behalf of children and young people
  • Complaints against more than one body
  • Complaints where the Council's director(s) has exercised discretion not to investigate further
  • Complaints where the Ombudsman has exercised discretion to accept a complaint because he/she has good reason to believe the council would not handle it effectively
  • Where there has been unreasonable delay by the council in processing a complaint and
  • Although the Ombudsman will no longer routinely contact complainants who have made 'premature' complaints in order to check on progress, there may be complaints where the Ombudsman's Advice Team decides that it is appropriate to do so

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is an independent watchdog for local government. You can make an electronic complaint by using the Ombudsman's online form www.lgo.org.uk/make-a-complaint or by telephoning the Ombudsman's Adviceline (see below).

PO Box 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH

Website: www.lgo.org.uk Telephone: 0300 061 0614 Opening hours: Monday to Friday - 10am to 4pm (except public holidays)

Please see the Ombudsman's interactive map - ‘Your Council's Performance’ detailing our compliance with Ombudsman investigations.

Dartford Borough Council Customer Services:

Civic Centre
Home Gardens
Dartford Kent DA1 1DR
Tel: 01322 343434

Online: Contact the Corporate Complaints Officer

The following organisations may assist you in making a complaint:

  • Dartford Citizens' Advice Bureau
    Tel: 0300 330 9001
    Website: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk
  • Disability Information Advice Line (DIAL)
    Tel: 01474 356962 or 0808 800 3333 Website: dial nwk
  • Local Councillor or MP
    Tel: 01322 343434
  • Council for Voluntary Service - North West Kent who will tell you of organisations that offer support
    Tel: 01474 354479   Website:www.cvsnwk.org