GreenSquareAccord Limited (202516122)

Decision
Case ID	202516122
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	GreenSquareAccord Limited
Landlord type	Housing Association
Occupancy	Assured Tenancy
Date	26 February 2026

 

Background

1. The resident complained that the landlord was not effectively responding to his reports of antisocial behaviour (ASB) by his neighbours.

 

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s:
   1. Reports of ASB by neighbours.
   2. Complaint.

 

Our decision (determination)

3. We have found reasonable redress in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s:
   1. Reports of ASB by neighbours.
   2. Complaint.

We have not made orders for the landlord to put things right.

 

Summary of reasons

The landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of ASB by neighbours

4. The landlord acknowledged it had failed to act in line with its ASB policy. Its apology and compensation offer was proportionate redress for its failings.

The handling of the complaint

5. The landlord’s apology and compensation offer was proportionate redress for the failings we found in our investigation.

 

Recommendations

Our recommendations are not binding, and a landlord may decide not to follow them.

Our recommendations
Our finding of reasonable redress is made on the basis that the landlord pays to the resident the sum of £525 if not already paid, for its identified failings in its ASB and complaint handling.
We recommend the landlord contacts the resident to confirm its position in relation to any ongoing ASB and how it will manage this.

 

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
Between September-December 2024	The resident told the landlord that several neighbours were causing ASB. His reports included noise and a smell of cannabis throughout the building.
26 December 2024	The resident complained to the landlord about its response to his reports of ASB.
17 April 2025	The resident contacted the landlord again to complain. He said it had not addressed his reports adequately. He told the landlord that the ASB issues were longstanding and negatively affecting his health.
13 May 2025	The landlord sent its stage 1 complaint response. It said it had taken appropriate action in response to the resident’s reports of ASB. It apologised for failing to raise a complaint following his contact in December 2024. It offered £75 compensation comprising: £25 for failing to raise a formal complaint £50 for the resident’s time and trouble
21 May 2025	The resident escalated his complaint. He was unhappy with the landlord’s assessment of its response at stage 1. He wanted it to address the ASB issues and increase its compensation offer.
15 July 2025	The landlord sent its stage 2 complaint response. It acknowledged it had failed to follow its ASB policy and apologised for this. It said it would contact the resident to open a new ASB case. It also apologised for poor communication and inaccuracies in its earlier complaint response. It offered a further £450 compensation comprising: £50 for poor communication £50 for inaccuracies contained in its stage 1 response £50 for failing to follow its ASB policy £150 for the resident’s time and trouble pursuing the matter £150 for distress and inconvenience This brought the landlord’s total compensation offer to £525.
Referral to the Ombudsman	The resident remained dissatisfied with the landlord’s final response and brought the complaint to us. He wanted the landlord to re-house him to resolve the issues, ensure it prevented similar failings and pay increased compensation.

 

What we found and why

The circumstances of this complaint are well known by the parties involved, so it is not necessary to detail everything that’s happened or comment on all the information we’ve reviewed. We’ve only included the key information that forms the basis of our decision of whether the landlord is responsible for maladministration.

Complaint	The landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of ASB by neighbours
Finding	Reasonable redress

What we did not investigate

6. The resident told the landlord that its handling of the issues had a detrimental impact on his health. The courts are best placed to deal with health disputes as they will have the benefit of independent medical advice to decide on the cause of any illness or injury and how long it will last. We have not investigated this further. We can, however, decide if a landlord should pay compensation for distress and inconvenience.

What we did investigate

7. It is not disputed that there were failings in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of ASB. When this is the case, we will consider whether the redress offered by the landlord (apology, compensation and offer to review the ASB) put things right and resolved the resident’s complaint satisfactorily in the circumstances. In considering this, we take into account whether the landlord’s offer of redress was in line with our dispute resolution principles, be fair, put things right and learn from outcomes.
8. Despite the resident reporting several instances of ASB between September and December 2024 and again in April 2025, there is no evidence that the landlord opened an ASB case. This meant it did not implement the actions set out in its ASB policy. Its failure to adequately respond delayed a resolution. It also likely led to the resident feeling frustrated and ignored.
9. On 17 April 2025, while making his complaint, the resident told the landlord that his neighbour had used ‘discriminatory language’ towards him. Given the nature of the report, the landlord should have investigated whether it was a hate incident. It failed to contact the resident or carry out a risk assessment, contrary to its ASB policy. It should have assessed the risk and any support that it could offer, to ensure a proportionate response.
10. The landlord’s stage 1 complaint response failed to acknowledge it had not followed its ASB policy. It did not address the resident’s concerns about the affect the situation was having on his health and wellbeing. Given he had expressed how he was vulnerable and distressed due to the situation, it would have been reasonable for it to consider this. Not doing so impacted the landlord–tenant relationship and undermined trust.
11. In the landlord’s final complaint response it apologised for the distress and inconvenience caused. It recognised the impact of its service failures and offered £400 compensation for the substantive issue. It said it would open a new ASB case and agreed a date by which it would contact the resident, with the aim of resolving the matter.
12. The landlord’s offer of £400 was within the range of awards set out in our remedies guidance when there has been a failing which adversely affected a resident. In our view, this, along with its apology and agreed action was proportionate and in line with our dispute resolution principles.

 

 

Complaint	The handling of the complaint
Finding	Reasonable redress

13. The landlord’s complaint policy at the time of the complaint complies with the definition of a complaint in the Code (April 2024). The timescales in the landlord’s complaint procedure complied with the Code.
14. The landlord did not record the resident’s complaint on 26 December 2024 and only did so after he chased it on 17 April 2025. This caused him avoidable time and trouble. In its stage 1 response, the landlord apologised, identified learning, and offered £75 compensation, which aligns with our remedies guidance.
15. The landlord’s stage 1 response did not show it had investigated the issues thoroughly, leading to an inaccurate assessment. Its final response appropriately acknowledged this, apologised, and offered £50 compensation. This is in line with our remedies guidance.
16. In its final complaint response, the landlord explained that it was only able to investigate issues that had occurred in the 12 months leading up to the resident’s complaint. As we have not seen evidence of it receiving reports of ASB between August 2023 and September 2024, this was reasonable and in line with its policy and the Code.

 

Learning

17. ASB case management is a crucial aspect of a landlord’s service delivery. Effective use of a robust ASB procedure enables the landlord to identify appropriate steps to resolve potential areas of conflict, improve landlord/tenant relationships and improve the experience of tenants residing in their homes. Had the landlord acted within its policy guidelines it would have avoided the failings identified in this case.

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

18. The landlord should consider reviewing its record keeping arrangements to ensure that these are robust. This is to ensure that accurate and accessible records are kept and collated, both of actions completed and of resident contact. It may wish to refer to our spotlight report on knowledge and information management.

Communication

19. There were delays in the landlord contacting the resident regarding his reports of ASB and his complaint. There was little evidence to show it kept him updated about its actions. It is important that the landlord effectively manages residents’ expectations about how it intends to respond to concerns and that they are kept informed of any delays and how it intends to mitigate the impact of these.