Working in housing puts professionals in a position of trust in relation to their customers, employers and the public who rely on them to make professional judgements. CIH has a responsibility to maintain professional standards in the sector and to ensure housing professionals are equipped to make effective decisions in challenging situations.
CIH’s professional standards, code of ethics and code of conduct provide a profession-wide shared view of the standards of ethical and professional behaviour that are expected of others working within housing and related sectors. All CIH members are required to adhere to these principles.
Professional conduct of members is overseen by the CIH professional standards committee.
Undertake investigations into members where a breach of the code of conduct is made in the public domain.
If a CIH member is:
Investigate complaints against members in relation to a breach of the code of conduct from another CIH member or member of the public.
If a CIH member breaches the principles and any of its sub-items listed in the code of conduct.
Other organisations that might assist a complainant in these circumstances where the professional standards committee will not investigate.
Before submitting a complaint, we would recommend you try to resolve your concerns directly first. This can be the quickest and best way to deal with a complaint or problem.
However, if you do need to make a complaint to CIH about a CIH member, please send us:
Please note, any form of malicious complaints is subject to be investigated as a breach of the code of conduct.
To submit your complaint please download and complete this form:
You can either send it to us via email or post.
Timings: 40 working days
Following a full investigation of a complaint, the following sanctions can be applied:
The member’s conduct has not breached the code however it falls short of CIH’s acceptable standards of professional practice.
Action:
PSC provides written confirmation of the outcome to the complainant, the member and the CIH governing board.
According to the severity and impact of the findings, the member may:
Members who have been found to have breached the code of conduct have the right to lodge an appeal based on the following specific circumstances:
Please note, we will not be able to review the professional standards committee’s decision due to you disagreeing with the decision made on the original evidence presented.
The appeal must be lodged in writing within two weeks of receiving notification of the outcome of the complaint, attaching the new facts or evidence, explaining how these should change the original decision. Appeals will be considered by nominated members of the governing board, the outcome of this investigation will be communicated in 60 working days. Should it take longer due to the complexity of the case, this will be communicated to the member.
Except in exceptional circumstances, when we deal with a complaint, we are committed to protecting the confidentiality and reputation of both sides as far as possible. We disclose a complaint only if it reaches a professional standards committee hearing, with information only disclosed if necessary to properly investigate the matter, and in accordance to the Data Protection Act 2018. We ask that both you and the member have the same respect for confidentiality.
In the event of finding that there has been a breach of the code of conduct, CIH reserves the right to give publicity to the breach, and any subsequent disciplinary actions, in the interests of CIH and the public, always in accordance to the Data Protection Act 2018.
Being involved in a complaint can be very difficult; for further support you can reach out to:
We are committed to providing a high-quality, professional service to everyone who contacts us. If something goes wrong, please tell us and we will do everything we can to sort out your concerns. You can use our complaints procedure if you remain unhappy with our service.