Greatwell Homes Limited (202416453)

Decision
Case ID	202408248
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	Greatwell Homes Limited
Landlord type	Housing Association
Occupancy	Assured Tenancy
Date	27 May 2026

Background

The resident complained about how the landlord’s staff communicated with her in relation to ongoing antisocial behaviour (ASB). She said she had been misled by staff, had not been given the information she requested, and was dissatisfied with the landlord’s handling of her reports. The landlord accepted it could have handled the issues more effectively and apologised to the resident.

What the complaint is about

The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s concerns about:
1. Staff conduct.
2. Reports of ASB.
3. The complaint.

Our decision (determination)

We found reasonable redress in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s concerns about:
1. Staff conduct.
2. Reports of ASB.
We found no maladministration in the landlord’s complaint handling.

Summary of reasons

Staff conduct

The landlord took appropriate steps to investigate and respond to the resident’s concerns. It apologised and provided feedback to the staff involved. These were reasonable responses to the complaint.

ASB

The landlord proactively responded to the resident’s concerns. It apologised and committed to investigating the resident’s reports of ASB in line with its policies and procedures These actions were reasonable in the circumstances.

Complaint handling

The landlord acknowledged and responded to the complaints within its stated timescales.

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
3 April 2024	The resident complained about how landlord staff communicated with her in relation to reports of ongoing ASB. She was dissatisfied with how her reports had been handled, including an email the landlord sent telling her that no further action would be taken. She said that during a telephone call to discuss the issue, she was misled into believing she was speaking to a manager from the neighbourhood housing team. She said she had asked for contact details for a senior manager, but these had not been provided.
17 April 2024	In its complaint responses, the landlord acknowledged that some of its communication may have caused misunderstanding. It said one staff member had acted appropriately during a call, but another could have provided clearer information. It apologised to the resident for the confusion its email caused and confirmed it would continue to investigate the ASB. It provided the resident with a single point of contact to handle her reports in the future.
23 April 2024	The resident escalated her complaint. She said staff had acted unprofessionally and had misled her. She also said the landlord had not accepted fault and that the situation had caused her stress.
29 April 2024	In its final complaint response, the landlord acknowledged that both phone calls could have been handled better and the complaint response it provided could have been communicated more clearly. It provided the information the resident had requested, apologised for the delay in doing so, and said it had given feedback to the staff involved. It maintained that its response in respect of how her reports of ASB would be progressed since her complaint was raised, was appropriate.
Referral to the Ombudsman	The resident referred the complaint to us as she remained dissatisfied. She said the landlord should retrain its staff and provide compensation for the distress caused. She also said the ASB had since stopped as the neighbour involved had died, and that her neighbour could have been better supported if the landlord had acted on the resident’s reports earlier.

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	Staff conduct
Finding	Reasonable redress

What we have not investigated

The resident said she was concerned about the effect this issue had to her mental health. It would be fairer, more reasonable and more effective for the resident to make a personal injury claim for any injury caused. The courts are best placed to deal with this type of dispute as they will have the benefit of independent medical advice to decide on the cause of any injury and how long it might last. We have not investigated this further.

What we have investigated

The resident’s complaint in April 2024 related to 2 telephone calls with the landlord’s neighbourhood housing officer and customer service team on 3 April 2024. She was dissatisfied with how the initial call was handled and the advice she was given. She said that during a subsequent call she was misled into believing she was speaking to a manager and was not provided with contact details for a senior member of staff when she requested them. She said this caused her distress.
In response to the complaints, the landlord said it could not review the first call as it had not been recorded, but it had spoken to the staff member involved. It acknowledged the staff member referred to a manager being present but had not made clear that this was a customer service team leader rather than a neighbourhood housing manager. It apologised for any confusion caused.
The landlord reviewed the second call and concluded its communication could have been clearer and more information could have been provided. It explained that the staff member was trying to advise that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) does not usually deal with complaints directly, but accepted that a clearer explanation of its structure would have been helpful.
In its final complaint responses in April 2024, the landlord provided the contact information the resident requested. It apologised for the delay in providing the information and confirmed it had given feedback to staff in its customer service and complaints teams.
The evidence shows the landlord took reasonable steps to address the resident’s concerns. It reviewed the available call, spoke to staff involved, and identified where communication could be improved in the future. It provided the requested information and apologised for the issues identified.
Overall, the landlord’s handling of the resident’s concern was fair and reasonable. It investigated the issues, identified areas for improvement, provided the requested information, and apologised. These actions appropriately addressed the complaint and were in line with the Ombudsman’s resolution principles of: be fair, put things right and learn from outcomes.

Complaint	Handling of ASB reports
Finding	Reasonable redress

What we have not investigated

The resident complained to us that the landlord should have offered more support to one of her neighbours. We cannot consider complaints made on behalf of another person where there is no evidence of authority to do so. We have not seen any evidence to show the resident has authority to act on behalf of her neighbour, so we have not investigated this point.

What we have investigated

The resident’s complaint concerns the landlord’s overall handling of her reports of verbal intimidation and drug related ASB by her neighbours which she had reported since 2023. She was dissatisfied that multiple staff members were involved and said a neighbourhood housing officer told her no further action would be taken in respect of a recent report she made in February 2024, while another was continuing to manage an open ASB case about the same perpetrator.
In its complaint response, the landlord apologised for any confusion caused by the email from its neighbourhood housing officer. It said it would continue to investigate the ASB reports in line with its policies. It also confirmed that a community safety officer would act as a single point of contact to progress the ASB investigations and avoid further misunderstanding.
The landlord’s records show it generally managed the resident’s ASB reports in line with its policy since when they were reported in October 2023. It completed risk assessments, took initial actions, and communicated with the resident as it progressed its investigations. The reports were subject to management oversight, and the landlord discussed action plans with the resident. It also worked with external agencies to arrange support for the resident when required. These actions were in line with its ASB procedures and were taken promptly in response to the resident’s reports.
The landlord accepted that an earlier email advising that one ASB report would be closed due to a lack of evidence was incorrect. However, it did not explain why the email had been sent. A clearer explanation at the time would have helped the resident understand what had happened.
However, when the resident told the landlord she disagreed with its decision, it took prompt steps to address the situation. It provided a single point of contact to handler her reports and continued its investigations. It arranged support through the police to provide crime prevention advice, and updated the resident on the progress of the investigations post complaint response. These actions were in line with its ASB policy.
Overall, the landlord’s response to the resident’s concerns was reasonable. It apologised for the confusion the email from the neighbourhood housing officer had caused and immediately took proactive steps to resolve the issue and provide support to the resident, in line with its policies and procedures. The evidence shows it continued to do so after its complaint response, as it had told the resident it would. These actions reduced the impact experienced by the resident and were appropriate in the circumstances.

Complaint	Complaint handling
Finding	No maladministration

The landlord’s complaints policy aligns with the Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code (the Code) both in timescales and definition of a complaint.
The landlord acknowledged and responded to the complaint in line with the timescales set out with its policy and the Code.

Learning

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

The landlord’s record keeping was of a good standard, particularly in respect of the actions taken to address the resident’s reports of ASB. Its communication and investigation records were detailed and explained the actions it took to investigate the resident’s reports of ASB.

Communication

The landlord has identified learning opportunities to improve how it communicates with residents. As it develops its service, the landlord should refer to the Ombudsman’s Spotlight report on Attitudes, Respect and Rights for further guidance on how to communicate effectively with residents in the future.