Coventry Building Society

Building society. Products & services: Savings, Mortgages.

Updated: 3 August 2026

Company Overview

Industry: Finance — building society (savings and mortgages)
Parent company: None — member-owned mutual (parent of The Co-operative Bank since 1 January 2025)
Regulator: Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority (FRN 150892)
Ombudsman: Financial Ombudsman Service
Customers: Around 2 million members (approx. 1.6m saver-members and 460,000 borrower-members)
Founded: 1884
Legal entity: Coventry Building Society (mutual building society, FCA/PRA Financial Services Register FRN 150892)

Fewer than 2Banking & credit-card complaints per 1,000 accounts
100%(61% within 3 working days)Banking & credit-card complaints closed within 8 weeks

What customers complain about

Customers most often complain to Coventry Building Society about banking and credit-card accounts and about mortgages (home finance). The Society's own July–December 2025 report attributes the largest share of complaints in both areas to "other general admin/customer service" — administrative errors and service handling rather than product mis-selling. Upheld rates were 60% for banking/credit-card complaints and 68% for home-finance complaints in that period, and the Society closed roughly six in ten banking complaints within three working days. Complaint volumes are low relative to its size (fewer than two complaints per 1,000 banking accounts and fewer than three per 1,000 mortgage accounts). If the Society cannot resolve a complaint to the member's satisfaction, the free Financial Ombudsman Service can review it.

Complaint categories

1
Banking & credit-card administration and service
The largest single share of complaints. The Society records "other general admin/customer service" as the leading cause, i.e. account handling, servicing errors and general service rather than product mis-selling.
Coventry Building Society complaints report, 1 Jul – 31 Dec 2025: 3,403 banking/credit-card complaints opened, 60% upheld.
2
Home finance (mortgages)
The second main area, covering Coventry, Godiva Mortgages and ITL Mortgages lending. Again "other general admin/customer service" is cited as the primary driver.
Coventry Building Society complaints report, 1 Jul – 31 Dec 2025: 740 home-finance complaints opened, 68% upheld.
3
Insurance, investments and credit-related products
Very low volumes — single-figure complaint counts — reflecting that these are not the Society's core products.
Coventry Building Society complaints report, 1 Jul – 31 Dec 2025: insurance 1 complaint, investments 1, credit-related 3.

Latest statistics

3,403opened, 60% upheldBanking & credit-card complaints opened / % upheld1 Jul – 31 Dec 2025
100%(61% within 3 working days)Banking & credit-card complaints closed within 8 weeks1 Jul – 31 Dec 2025

Figures from Coventry Building Society's own FCA-mandated complaints report for 1 July – 31 December 2025, covering the Society and its subsidiaries Godiva Mortgages Limited and ITL Mortgages Limited. “Upheld” means the complaint was found in the customer's favour. Rates are the Society's published complaints-per-1,000-accounts bands.

Contact methods

Complaint journey

1
Contact Coventry Building Society's Customer Relations team
Raise the complaint directly with the Society first.
Typical responseWithin 2 working days
What happens
Complain by phone on 0800 121 8899, in any branch, by secure message once logged in, or by post to FREEPOST CBS CUSTOMER RELATIONS. The Society aims to make first contact by phone within the first two working days, or to write to you within five working days if it cannot reach you.
2
Investigation and attempt to resolve
An adviser investigates and tries to put things right.
Typical responseVaries
What happens
A Customer Relations adviser looks into what happened and tries to resolve it, often at the first point of contact. If it is settled quickly, the Society sends a short summary letter confirming the outcome.
3
Final response letter
The Society issues its formal decision in writing.
Typical responseUp to 8 weeks (15 business days for payment services)
What happens
After a full investigation the Society sends its final findings by post. Payment-service complaints carry a shorter clock — a response within 15 business days — while other complaints should receive a final response within the regulatory maximum of eight weeks. In H2 2025 the Society closed all banking and home-finance complaints within eight weeks.
4
Escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service
Ask the free ombudsman to review if you're still unhappy.
Typical responseWithin 6 months of the final response
What happens
If you are dissatisfied with the final response, or eight weeks pass without one, you can refer the complaint free of charge to the Financial Ombudsman Service. You normally have six months from the date of the Society's final response to do so. The ombudsman — not the FCA or PRA — decides individual disputes and its decision is binding on the firm if you accept it.

Response times

Coventry Building Society aims to make first contact within two working days of receiving a complaint, or to write within five working days if it cannot reach you. Payment-service complaints must receive a response within 15 business days. All other complaints should receive a final response within the FCA's maximum of eight weeks (the Society references an up-to-56-day timeframe). In its own July–December 2025 report the Society closed 61% of banking/credit-card complaints and 53% of home-finance complaints within three working days, and the remainder within eight weeks.

If your complaint isn’t resolved

If Coventry Building Society can’t put things right, you can escalate — free of charge — to an independent body:

Financial Ombudsman Service

Know your rights

FCA Handbook – DISP (complaints-handling rules)
Requires Coventry Building Society to acknowledge and investigate your complaint and to issue a final response, generally within eight weeks, and to tell you about your right to the Financial Ombudsman Service. This is general information, not legal advice.
FCA Consumer Duty
Obliges the Society to deliver good outcomes and act in members' interests, including handling complaints fairly and supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances.
Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)
Eligible savings with Coventry Building Society are protected up to the FSCS limit if the Society were to fail — separate from the complaints process, but relevant reassurance for members.
Consumer Rights Act 2015
Services, including financial services, must be provided with reasonable care and skill; where they fall short you can ask for the problem to be put right. This is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a complaint to Coventry Building Society?

Call Customer Relations on 0800 121 8899 (Mon–Fri 8am–7pm, Sat 9am–2pm), write to FREEPOST CBS CUSTOMER RELATIONS, visit a branch, or send a secure message after logging in. The Society aims to make first contact within two working days.

How long does Coventry Building Society take to respond?

It aims to make first contact within two working days. Payment-service complaints get a response within 15 business days; other complaints receive a final response within the eight-week regulatory maximum. In H2 2025 it closed 61% of banking complaints within three working days.

What do people most often complain about?

In its July–December 2025 report the two biggest areas were banking/credit-card accounts (3,403 complaints, 60% upheld) and mortgages (740 complaints, 68% upheld), with "other general admin/customer service" the leading cause in both.

Can I go to the Financial Ombudsman Service?

Yes. If you are unhappy with the Society's final response, or eight weeks pass without one, you can refer your complaint free of charge to the Financial Ombudsman Service, normally within six months of the final response. The ombudsman, not the FCA or PRA, decides individual disputes.

I'm a Co-operative Bank customer — has that changed?

Coventry Building Society acquired The Co-operative Bank on 1 January 2025, so it is now part of the Coventry group. The Co-op Bank keeps its own brand and complaints channels for now, so Co-op Bank complaints still follow Co-op Bank's own process.

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