Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about a social housing landlord’s investigation of complaints about anti-social behaviour by its tenants. It was reasonable for Mr X to complaint to the Housing Ombudsman service about the matter and he has successfully done so. The Council had minimal involvement in his complaint.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained about the Council’s failure to take action against his neighbours who have been carrying anti-social behaviour since before 2022. He says it should take action against its own housing officers who have failed to properly investigate his complaints.

Back to top

The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We cannot investigate complaints about the provision or management of social housing by a council acting as a registered social housing provider. (Local Government Act 1974, paragraph 5A schedule 5, as amended)
3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

Back to top

My assessment

6. Mr X complained about his social housing neighbours behaviour to his landlord from 2022. He says the landlord did not fully investigate his concerns. He made two further complaints in 2023 and eventually made a complaint to the Housing Ombudsman service. In 2024 the Ombudsman upheld some of his complaints against the housing landlord.
7. The Ombudsman’s report identified that Mr X made a complaint to the Council’s Community Safety Unit(CSU) in 2022 but this was referred to the housing landlord. If Mr X had wished to complaint about the CSU in 2022 he needed to do so within 12 months. He did not purse this matter with the Council or with us at the time.
8. We cannot consider any of the actions of the housing landlord from 2022 because it is not a body within our jurisdiction. The only other time Mr X involved the Council was when he asked for an appeal against the decision not to initiate the Community Trigger in September 2023. The Council considered and upheld his appeal against the landlord’s ASB team decision and recommended that it re-investigate the case. The ensuing investigation was addressed in the housing Ombudsman’s report.

Back to top

Final decision

9. We will not investigate this complaint about a social housing landlord’s investigation of complaints about anti-social behaviour by its tenants. It was reasonable for Mr X to complaint to the Housing Ombudsman service about the matter and he has successfully done so. The Council had minimal involvement in his complaint.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman