Nottingham City Council (202322483)

Decision
Case ID	202322483
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	Nottingham City Council
Landlord type	Local Authority
Occupancy	Secure Tenancy
Date	12 November 2025

Background

1. The resident lives with her son and grandchildren. She is disabled and receives care support. On 5 June 2023 the landlord visited after she reported bathroom tiles coming loose. The resident said a staff member entered the bathroom while her granddaughter was inside. She also raised concerns about the kitchen’s condition and said no repairs were carried out.

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s response to:
   1. Concerns about the kitchen condition.
   2. A request about repair appointment times.
   3. Concerns about staff conduct.
3. We also investigated the landlord’s complaint handling.

Our decision (determination)

4. There was no maladministration in the landlord’s:
   1. Response to concerns about the kitchen condition.
   2. Response to a request regarding repair appointment times.
   3. Response to concerns about staff conduct.
   4. Complaint handling.

Summary of reasons

Response to concerns about the kitchen condition

5. The landlord arranged a kitchen survey and promised to carry out repairs until the replacement took place. By September 2023, the kitchen replacement had begun.

Response to a request regarding repair appointment times

6. After the resident requested on 12 September 2023 that the landlord avoid appointment times during carer visits, the landlord acted reasonably by placing a note on its system to accommodate this request.

Response to concerns about staff conduct

7. The landlord acted reasonably by interviewing its staff members and gathering their accounts of events as well as reviewing the resident’s comments. It clearly explained the outcome to the resident.

Complaint handling

8. The landlord provided its formal responses within its policy timescales and addressed her complaint points comprehensively.

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
5 June 2023	The resident complained the landlord’s staff members entered her bathroom without permission, disturbing her granddaughter. She was also unhappy that kitchen tiles and unit doors were missing, and no repairs were done.
8 June 2023	The landlord issued its stage 1 response. It responded to the resident’s concerns about staff conduct and provided an explanation concluding its staff members did not open the bathroom door. They also looked at the kitchen tiles. As she told them she was scheduled for a kitchen replacement, they advised the tiles would be addressed then.
31 August 2023	The resident escalated the complaint to stage 2, disputing the landlord’s account and claiming the staff members unlocked the door and entered abruptly while her granddaughter was inside. She remained unhappy with the condition of the kitchen, noting she had raised concerns since early 2022 and, despite repeated promises, the replacement was still outstanding.
22 September 2023	The landlord issued its stage 2 response. It repeated its stage 1 position regarding the staff conduct and included further detail. Following a meeting in September 2023, the landlord added a note to the resident’s file to avoid visits during carer appointments. It acknowledged it had arranged a kitchen survey and confirmed no further repairs were needed but committed to maintaining the kitchen until it was replaced.
Referral to the Ombudsman	The resident remained dissatisfied with the final response. She acknowledged that the kitchen had been replaced but complained about the poor quality of the workmanship and materials. She also said her adapted taps, installed for her disability, were removed during the replacement. Additionally, she disputed the landlord’s version of events regarding the staff conduct. As a resolution, she wanted compensation and for the adapted taps to be reinstated.

 

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	Concerns about the kitchen condition
Finding	No maladministration

Investigation scope

9. The resident said she had raised concerns about the kitchen’s condition since early 2022. While this may be the case, it would have been reasonable for her to make a complaint sooner. The time that has passed affects the Ombudsman’s ability to reliably assess the circumstances surrounding the earlier events. In this case, the resident complained in June 2023 and raised kitchen concerns during her escalation request in late August 2023. Therefore, this investigation will focus on the relevant events in the months leading up to her complaint June 2023 and through to the landlord’s final response in September 2023.
10. The resident told us the landlord replaced the kitchen but to a poor standard and that her adapted taps were removed. However, we have not seen evidence that these concerns exhausted the landlord’s complaints process. As a result, we are unable to investigate these concerns about the new kitchen.
11. The resident also told us the situation had an impact on her mental health and exacerbated existing medical conditions. It would be fairer, more reasonable and more effective for the resident to make a personal injury claim if they consider that her health has been affected by any action or lack thereof by the landlord. The courts are best placed to deal with this type of dispute as they will have the benefit of independent medical advice. We’ve not investigated this aspect of the complaint further. We can however decide if a landlord should pay compensation for distress and inconvenience.

Concerns about the kitchen condition

12. The resident complained that she had been promised a replacement kitchen, but despite assurances, no progress had been made. She added in early 2023 the landlord took measurements and indicated work would begin soon. However, the resident said instead of replacing the kitchen, the landlord repaired the unit doors with mismatched, lower-quality materials. The resident felt because she was due a kitchen replacement, the landlord chose to ignore kitchen repairs.
13. The landlord visited on 5 June 2023 to inspect the bathroom tiles, though it briefly looked at the kitchen. The resident had not raised any kitchen-related repairs since March 2023, when she reported an issue with the kitchen light.
14. On 12 September 2023, the landlord visited the resident to discuss her concerns, showing a customer-focused approach. It confirmed that the kitchen replacement would be handled by the landlord’s Capital Programme team. During this visit, the resident confirmed a staff member had already arranged a kitchen survey.
15. The landlord scheduled a kitchen design appointment for 13 September 2023 followed by electrical testing on 15 September 2023. Installation began later that month, with fitting completed by 2 October 2023, shortly after the resident raised concerns. The landlord managed expectations well, involving its Capital Programme team and committed to replacing the kitchen, which it did.
16. Overall, the landlord responded fairly and promptly. The new kitchen was installed within weeks of her complaint, demonstrating a commitment to resolution. There was no maladministration.

Complaint	Response to a request regarding repair appointment times
Finding	No maladministration

17. During a meeting with the landlord on 12 September 2023 the resident explained she had carer visits during 8am to 10am. In response, the landlord added a note to its system to avoid scheduling appointments at these times.
18. The landlord acknowledged the resident’s needs by flagging the preferred time window in its system and advising that, while it would aim to avoid these hours, occasional exceptions might be necessary. This was a reasonable, customer-focused adjustment considering the resident’s circumstances. There was no maladministration.

Complaint	Response to concerns about staff conduct
Finding	No maladministration

19. On 5 June 2023 landlord staff members attended to reports of bathroom tiles coming off the wall. During the visit, the resident alleged that a staff member unlocked a bathroom door while her young granddaughter was inside. She raised concerns about this the same day. While we cannot determine the exact events that took place, this assessment focuses on the landlord’s response.
20. When staff conduct is questioned, the landlord should demonstrate good practice by investigating the matter thoroughly – interviewing staff, responding promptly, and clearly communicating outcomes.
21. The landlord acknowledged the complaint and conducted a reasonable investigation. It interviewed the staff members and documented its fact-finding process, which was appropriate. It provided a clear explanation in response to the resident’s concerns. The landlord took the complaint seriously and reviewed the job sheet from the time. Its investigation was balanced and its response was proportionate and clearly communicated.
22. As the staff member denied entering the bathroom and as no further evidence was available, the landlord reasonably concluded it could not take further action. Although the resident was dissatisfied, the landlord’s investigation and response was appropriate. The landlord identified learning from this. In future visits would be conducted in pairs to support both the resident and staff. There was no maladministration.

Complaint	Handling of the complaint
Finding	No maladministration

23. The resident complained on 5 June 2023 which the landlord acknowledged the same day. It issued its stage 1 response on 8 June 2023, within 10 working days in line with its complaints policy. The resident escalated the complaint on 30 August 2023 and a stage 2 response was provided within 20 working days, again in line with its complaints policy.
24. The resident raised new issues (the condition of the kitchen and repairs appointment times) in her escalation request that were not part of her original complaint from 5 June 2023. The Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code states that new concerns should be treated as a separate complaint. Nevertheless, the landlord’s decision to include them was reasonable as it did not delay the final response. This showed flexibility and a customer-focused approach. The resident was not disadvantaged, and there was no negative impact.
25. Overall, the landlord’s responses were timely, clear and detailed and there was no maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the complaint.

Learning

Knowledge information management (record keeping) and Communication

26. The landlord’s record keeping and communication was satisfactory during the complaints process.