Threshold is a national housing charity, which provides frontline advice and support services to private renters facing problems in their tenancies. Threshold prevents private renters from entering homelessness, advocates on their behalf, empowers them to assert their rights and seeks to influence national housing policy for the benefit of all those in need of a secure, sustainable home.
Threshold has offices in Limerick, Galway and Cork and Dublin, operates a National Freephone Helpline (1800 454 454) from 9am to 9pm, a webchat service from 9:30am to 5pm and an online video consultation service available 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Threshold is committed to ensuring that our interactions with our stakeholders is professional at all times. We recognise and value feedback. We appreciate the right of our stakeholders to engage in a complaints process. We see all feedback and complaints as an opportunity to:
- Review how we interact with all stakeholders
- Ensure that our stakeholder engagement is consistent with Threshold’s values and strategic goals
- Identify and rectify areas that need improvement
- develop policies that set the standard for how we respond to stakeholders
- Efficiently and appropriately manage complaints
- Acknowledge the performance of staff members
At Threshold, we are committed to delivering excellent service to all our stakeholders. This policy gives information and advice on how you can make a complaint with us, and how you can expect us to respond to your complaint.
If you are unhappy with any part of our service, we encourage you to let us know and we will do everything we can to resolve the matter quickly and to your satisfaction. We aim to resolve all complaints as quickly and as fairly as possible. We monitor complaints to help us to inform and improve the quality of our service.
Our promise to you
- Complaints information: We will make all complainants aware of this Policy and on request, we will issue complainants with a copy of the policy.
- Easy complaints process: We will provide complainants, or a nominated representative, with a clear and easy process to make a complaint. We will try to resolve all complaints as soon as possible
- confidentiality: We will treat all complaint with confidentiality
- Trained staff: We will train our staff to deliver on the promises we make in this Policy and ensure all staff are aware of the Policy and complaints procedures
Threshold has a two-stage process for resolving complaints. These include the initial stage and the escalation stage.
Stage 1: Threshold Initial Complaints Process
- Acknowledgement of the complaint within two working days: We commit to acknowledging your complaint within two days of receiving it
- Reference number and point of contact: You will receive a reference number and point of contact for your complaint
- Investigation of complaint: Threshold will conduct a thorough investigation of your complaint
- Initial Response within 25 working days: We will respond to your complaint within 25 working days with a resolution or an outline plan on how we will resolve the issue, under normal conditions
- Decision within two months: You will receive a full response and final decision to Stage 1 of our complaints process within two months from the date of receipt of the complaint (you may be required to engage with us during the investigation, e.g. we might require further information or correspondence)
Stage 2: Threshold Escalation Complaints Process
- Clear way to escalate your complaint: We will make it clear how you can escalate your complaint further within Threshold if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint
- Decision on escalation within 25 working days: We will review your escalated complaint and will provide a response within 25 working days of the date of the receipt of the escalation request.
What is a complaint?
A complaint is defined as “the expression (through various channels, for example letter, email, phone call, physical claim) of a stakeholder’s dissatisfaction and his/her explicit expectation for a response or resolution”. The term “explicit” denotes that the stakeholder state they are seeking some action to address their concern, even if they are not able to identify and state what action is required.
For clarity, a stakeholder in this context is defined as any person(s) affected by Threshold’s operations and performance that wishes to complain to or about Threshold.
How to make a complaint
If your experience with Threshold results in your desire to submit a complaint, please let us know and we will do our best to rectify the situation as quickly as possible.
You can register a complaint with us in any of the following ways:
- By Post: Threshold, 25/28 Strand Street Great, Dublin 1, D01 XPO4
- Via our website: www.threshold.ie/complaints-and-feedback/
- By Email: complaints@threshold.ie
In order to investigate your complaint, we may need to request some personal information from you that may include:
- Your name, address and email address
- Mobile or landline number
- Details of the incident or issue, including:
- Relevant dates (where appropriate);
- Case information
- Other information or documentation you believe would assist us to understand and investigate your complaint further;
- What you would like Threshold to do to make things right.
Please note that the above information must be provided to Threshold for your issue to be considered as a complaint, otherwise your issue will be lodged as a query and timeframes in this Code will not apply.
How we will respond to your complaint
Stage 1: We aim to resolve all complaints immediately. If this is not possible, we will contact you within 25 working days with an update. We document all complaints. We will always record your phone number, contact details and a summary of your complaint. You will be provided a reference number and point of contact for your complaint process.
We will issue a final decision to your complaint within two months from when you registered your complaint. We will provide reasons for our decision and will inform you that your complaint is closed. To achieve this, we may need you to engage with us during the investigation.
Stage 2: If you would like further investigation if you are not happy with our response to a complaint or the way it was handled, you may request the decision to be escalated to the Threshold CEO to be reviewed. To do this, your request to escalate this complaint must be put in writing to:
Threshold, 25/28 Strand Street Great, Dublin 1, D01 XPO4
The decision will be reviewed, and a response provided within 25 working days.
If you feel your complaint has not been dealt with to your satisfaction, you can further request a review of your complaint by the Governance Committee of the Board of Threshold. To avail of this you must request a further review of the complaint by the Governance Committee in writing to:
The Governance Committee, Threshold, 25/28 Strand Street Great, Dublin 1, D01 XPO4.
Recording and reporting of complaints
- Recording of Complaints: Threshold will keep a record of all complaints made and the steps undertaken in responding to the complaint.
- Reporting of Complaints: The Chief Executive Officer will present a review of complaints to the Board of Directors of Threshold on a quarterly basis.
Feedback Opportunities for Clients
Threshold welcomes feedback, both positive and negative. If you have suggestions on how we can improve our services, but don’t wish to make a complaint, or if you want to tell us what we are doing right, we would be delighted to hear from you. Any feedback can be given in writing to the relevant service manager:
Eastern Region:
Eastern Regional Services Manager, 25/28 Strand Street Great, Dublin 1, Do1 XP04: advice@threshold.ie
Western & Mid-Western Region:
Western Regional Services Manager, 5 Prospect Hill, Galway, H91 HC1H, advicegalway@threshold.ie
Southern Region:
Southern Regional Services Manager, 22 South Mall, Cork, T12 C2Y advicecork@threshold.ie
All suggestions will be forwarded to our Chief Operating Officer and will be discussed by the senior management team. Please ensure that any feedback is as specific as possible to inform the development of our services most effectively.
Complaints Process for Donors
At Threshold, we actively encourage our donors to contact us with their feedback, whether good or bad. Complaints are especially important to us as they may help us see where our donor care and other activities can be improved. If you are a donor and wish to make a complaint please follow the steps outlined above (Stage 1 and Stage 2).
If you are a donor and wish to provide feedback please contact our Fundraising Manager on:
Fundraising Manager, 25/28 Strand Street Great, Dublin 1, D01 XPO4
fundraising@threshold.ie
Complaints Process for Landlord and other non-service user stakeholders
Threshold recognises the right of any of our stakeholders to raise concerns or complaints where the complainant believes the concern and/or complaint is warranted and justified. We welcome the opportunity to address any area of our service where a deficiency has been established. Should you wish to make a complaint please refer to the steps outlined in Stage 1 and Stage 2 of this policy.
Charities Regulator
All stakeholders should in the first instance address complaints to Threshold as outlined above. You may however at any stage make your complaint to the Charities Regulator who are able to deal with complaints where:
- There is a risk of significant loss or damage to a charity, its assets or beneficiaries;
- Charity trustees have breached their duties;
- There is serious or sustained misconduct by those in management and control of a charity;
- A charity does not meet the legal requirement to be a charity (the legal requirement includes having charitable purposes and providing public benefit);
- A body may be representing itself as being a charity in Ireland, when it is not.
If you wish to contact the Charities Regulator regarding a concern, you must complete their online concerns form.