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Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) (202342836)

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REPORT

COMPLAINT 202342836

Notting Hill Genesis (NHG)

20 March 2025


Our approach

The Housing Ombudsman’s approach to investigating and determining complaints is to decide what is fair in all the circumstances of the case. This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme (the Scheme). The Ombudsman considers the evidence and looks to see if there has been any ‘maladministration’, for example whether the landlord has failed to keep to the law, followed proper procedure, followed good practice or behaved in a reasonable and competent manner.

Both the resident and the landlord have submitted information to the Ombudsman and this has been carefully considered. Their accounts of what has happened are summarised below. This report is not an exhaustive description of all the events that have occurred in relation to this case, but an outline of the key issues as a background to the investigation’s findings.

The complaint

  1. The complaint is about automated messages sent to the resident by the landlord regarding rent arrears.

Background

  1. The resident lives in a 2-bed flat. She is an assured tenant of the landlord’s since 2015.
  2. On 8 January 2024 the resident complained to the landlord. She said she had received an automated rent arrears reminder. The resident was unhappy her personal email address had been added to its system without her permission.
  3. The landlord replied at stage 1 of its internal complaints process on 23 January 2024. It said it had previously agreed with the resident that it would only contact her via post. The landlord apologised and removed her personal contact details from its system.
  4. The resident was not happy with the response and escalated her complaint on 23 January 2024. The landlord replied at stage 2 of its internal complaints process on 29 February 2024. It said the following:
    1. The landlord had offered to meet with the resident to understand her concerns however the resident had declined.
    2. The resident’s details were added to its system following a repair that was raised in November 2023.
    3. It offered £50 in compensation for failing to provide an explanation in its stage 1 response.

Assessment and findings

  1. Paragraph 53.c. of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme states that, “the Ombudsman may determine the investigation of a complaint immediately if satisfied that the member has made an offer of redress following the Ombudsman’s intervention which, in the Ombudsman’s opinion, resolves the complaint satisfactorily.”

The Ombudsman’s Intervention

  1. We contacted the landlord on 25 February 2025 and provided it with a summary of the events. This included our provisional comments as to what the landlord could do to resolve the resident’s complaint.

The landlord’s offer of redress

  1. On 20 March 2025 the landlord provided us with evidence it had acted on the Ombudsman’s provisional comments and paid the resident £150 compensation.
  2. The resident has informed the Ombudsman that she is content with this as a resolution to her complaint.
  3. The Ombudsman is therefore satisfied that following our intervention the landlord’s actions will remedy the matters raised. This will resolve the complaint satisfactorily.

Determination

  1. In accordance with paragraph 53.c. of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, the landlord has made an offer of redress, following the Ombudsman’s intervention. In our opinion this resolves the complaint satisfactorily.