Thorngate Living is all about enjoying the comfort and security of living in your own home within a friendly and respectful neighbourhood with warden support.
Retirement housing important information
Concerns and complaints
Many people are reluctant to complain. We aim to provide a great home and professional, compassionate, caring service through our own determination to follow best practice.
Sometimes we may miss something, or you might be able to think of how we could do something better. Perhaps we may have fallen short of your expectations. Should this happen we want you to speak up, so that we can resolve any issues and improve the service we offer, as quickly as possible.
For any concerns or complaints please complete our online form and for further details of the process please see our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Stages
At Thorngate Churcher Trust, our residents are at the heart of what we do, and we are committed to delivering a high-quality service. It’s important to tell us when things go right or when they go wrong so we can continue to improve our service.
Stage 1 – investigation of the complaint
We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days.The investigation is usually carried out by the member of staff appropriately placed to deal with the area of complaint raised and is overseen by the complaints officer.Your complaint will be investigated and responded to within 10 working days from your receipt of your complaint, but it may not always be possible to complete all agreed actions within this period, so an extension would be required. Throughout the extension period we will, however, keep in touch by telephone or other means, to let you the progress of the complaint.
Stage 2 – reviewing the decision
If you’re unhappy with the resolution provided at stage 1, you can ask us to review it.
You must make contact within 20 working days of receipt of the outcome letter in Stage 1, otherwise we will consider the matter closed.
We will aim to send out a written acknowledgment of your request to review your complaint within 5 working days from your receipt of your complaint.
Further investigation and review will take place and we aim to do this and provide a final resolution within 20 days.
Complaint about staff
As with all our complaints, these are triaged to the most relevant person to deal with the complaint.
We will accept complaints about staff and contractor conduct and aim to provide a suitable solution on completion of the complaint investigation.
However, due to the nature of this type of investigation we would not be able to provide information regarding any disciplinary action.
Unhappy with the outcome?
Once you have followed the TCT’s complaints policy and are still unhappy, you can take your complaint directly to the Housing Ombudsman.
The Housing Ombudsman Service can also assist residents throughout the life of a complaint and not just at the point where you have been through our process to encourage earlier and more effective complaint resolution.
Documents linked to our complaints policy
Thorngate Churcher Trust Complaints Policy
Easy read version of Thorngate Churcher Trust Complaints Policy
Housing Ombudsman complaint handling code
Housing Ombudsman Self-Assessment
Complaints performance and service improvement report 2025/2026
Contact us
We provide several ways for residents to make a complaint:
- Email using info@thorngate.org.uk (available for use 24/7)
- Telephone by calling 023 92534999 (apart from bank holidays, available weekdays 9am – 5pm, voicemail facility out of hours)
- In person, speaking to a warden on site
- In writing to the Administration office at 10 Clare House
- In person by visiting the Administration office, 10 Clare House, Melrose Gardens, Gosport PO12 3BZ (apart from bank holidays, available weekdays 9am – 5pm)
- Online complaint form
Social Tenant Access to Information Requirement (STAIRs)
In May 2025, the former Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), now Ministry of Housing, communities and Local Government (MHCLG), launched a consultation on a direction to the Regulator of Social Housing on a new Social Tenants Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs).
The STAIRs aim to introduce a new standard that will require us as Registered Social Landlords to be transparent with our tenants and share data about the management of their courts and homes.
The commitment was first proposed by the Social Housing White Paper and brought forward by the Social Housing Regulation Act. We know our commitment to this is improving transparency and accountability by strengthening our relationship with our tenants.
What does the STAIRs consultation propose?
The consultation proposes the introduction of Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs), which would:
- Enable tenants to request information about their courts/home management. There will be specific requirements about how these requests are processed, including a timeframe to respond within.
- We will be required to proactively publish information via our website and Court notice boards. The consultation also outlines how complaints about the scheme would be addressed.
Read the National Housing Federation consultation response here.
Government’s response
On 30 September 2025 the government published their directions to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). By October 2026 Registered Social Landlords will have to meet the requirement around proactive publishing of information, and by April 2027 they will have to meet the requirement relating to responding to requests. We’re pleased the government has recognised the need for a phased approach in their response.
The government has also given greater flexibility to landlords, aiming to balance clear expectations on publishing information with flexibility to decide what will work best for their tenants.
Next steps
We are now directed by the Regulator of Social Housing to set STAIRs and will consult on its implementation. The Housing Ombudsman is also expected to consult on changes to the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, ahead of the introduction of STAIRs.
Our response
We are now looking to shape our response within the above timeframe based on the views of our Board members, colleagues, and tenants/their representatives.
This will involve:
- Training sessions for board members and colleagues
- Court meetings with tenants and their representatives
- Supporting communication through updates on our website and notices in the courts.