Notting Hill Genesis

Company Overview

What customers complain about

Complaint categories

1. 1
   Complaint handling itself

   NHG's own handling of complaints is its single largest category at the Housing Ombudsman. The most common recorded sub-issue for NHG was 'delay in escalating or responding to a complaint' (56 findings), ahead of other poor handling of complaints (51).

   Housing Ombudsman Landlord Performance Report 2023/24: 115 complaints-handling findings, 70% upheld as maladministration; top sub-category was delay in escalating/responding.
2. 2
   Property condition and responsive repairs

   Repairs that miss NHG's timescales, plus a repairs backlog, are a persistent theme. NHG has introduced a new centralised repairs service in response.

   Housing Ombudsman 2023/24: 110 property-condition findings, 63% maladministration; 'responsive repairs – general' was a top sub-category (45 findings). RSH judgement (Nov 2024) found NHG not meeting its own repairs timescales.
3. 3
   Leaks, damp and mould

   Damp, mould and leaks are a distinct and serious sub-theme within repairs, and are directly targeted by Awaab's Law and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018.

   Housing Ombudsman 2023/24: 'responsive repairs – leaks / damp / mould' produced 33 findings, including 8 of severe maladministration — the highest severe count of any sub-category for NHG.
4. 4
   Anti-social behaviour

   ASB complaints have a high maladministration rate for NHG relative to the sector, often turning on delays in acting on reports.

   Housing Ombudsman 2023/24: 37 ASB findings, 84% upheld as maladministration (above the 68% housing-association national rate).
5. 5
   Service charges

   Disputes over the amount or management of service charges recur; note that the reasonableness of variable service charges is decided by the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), not the Housing Ombudsman.

   Housing Ombudsman 2023/24: 'service charges – amount or account management' produced 17 findings for NHG.

Latest statistics

• 517Orders made by the OmbudsmanApr 2023–Mar 2024

Figures are from the Housing Ombudsman Service's published Landlord Performance Report for Notting Hill Genesis, covering cases determined April 2023–March 2024 (data refreshed July 2024). One determination can produce several findings across different issues. The Ombudsman noted NHG's 62% maladministration rate was below the 73% national rate for that period, so it 'performed well when compared to similar landlords by size and type'. Percentages against categories are the share of that category's findings upheld as maladministration, not the share of all complaints.

Contact methods

• NHG complaints line020 3815 0000
• NHG complaints by postNotting Hill Genesis, 1-3 Sussex Place, London W6 9EA (or any NHG office).
• Housing Ombudsman Service0300 111 3000

Complaint journey

1. 1

   Report the problem and raise a complaint with NHG

   Contact NHG and make clear you are making a formal complaint.

   Typical responseAcknowledged within 5 working days
   What happens

   Contact NHG by phone (020 3815 0000), email (complaints@nhg.org.uk), the online My Account form or in writing, and state clearly that you want to make a formal complaint. A member of the complaints service should contact you within 5 working days to discuss it. Keep a dated written record — written routes are far easier to evidence than calls.

2. 2

   Stage 1 investigation

   NHG investigates and issues a written stage 1 response.

   Typical response10 working days
   What happens

   NHG investigates your complaint and provides a written stage 1 response, which it aims to send within 10 working days in line with the statutory Complaint Handling Code. If it needs longer it should tell you and explain why. Check whether every issue you raised has actually been addressed — unaddressed points are a common failing at NHG.

3. 3

   Stage 2 review (final response)

   Ask for a review if you are unhappy; this is NHG's final response.

   Typical response20 working days
   What happens

   If you are dissatisfied with the stage 1 outcome you can ask for a stage 2 review. A dispute resolution lead reviews the case and provides a written response, which NHG aims to send within 20 working days. This stage 2 letter is NHG's final response and unlocks your right to go to the Housing Ombudsman.

4. 4

   Escalate to the Housing Ombudsman Service

   Ask the Ombudsman to investigate if you are still unhappy.

   Typical responseAfter NHG's final response
   What happens

   If you remain unhappy after NHG's stage 2 final response, ask the Housing Ombudsman Service to investigate (0300 111 3000, info@housingombudsman.org.uk). It is free, independent and impartial, and its decisions and orders (including compensation) are binding on NHG. The Regulator of Social Housing, by contrast, enforces standards across landlords and does not resolve individual disputes.

Response times

If your complaint isn’t resolved

If Notting Hill Genesis can’t put things right, you can escalate — free of charge — to an independent body:

• Housing Ombudsman ServiceSocial landlords
• The Property OmbudsmanLetting & estate agents

Recent news

• 27 November 2024

  The Regulator of Social Housing downgraded NHG to G3 (governance) and C3 (consumer standards), keeping V2 (viability), after a routine inspection found serious regulatory concerns — a backlog of over 2,000 fire-remediation actions, homes overdue for Decent Homes surveys, and repairs missing NHG's own timescales.

  Read more
• 1 April 2025

  The RSH agreed NHG's improvement plan to regain compliance with the governance and consumer standards, structured around 11 workstreams each with defined outcomes.

  Read more
• 1 February 2025

  The Housing Ombudsman found severe maladministration in NHG's handling of repairs and maladministration in its complaint handling (case 202345841), noting NHG escalated a complaint to stage 2 without the resident asking and did not respond to a June 2024 contact until February 2025, after Ombudsman intervention.

  Read more

Earlier cases

• 1 April 2018

  Historic: Notting Hill Genesis was created on 1 April 2018 through the merger of Notting Hill Housing Trust and Genesis Housing Association, forming one of the largest housing associations in London and the South East.

  Read more

Know your rights

• Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11

  Obliges NHG to keep the structure and exterior in repair and to maintain installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation and heating/hot water. Repairs complaints often rely on this duty. This is general information, not legal advice.

• Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018

  Requires NHG to keep the home fit for human habitation throughout the tenancy; damp, mould and serious disrepair can breach it and can be pursued in court as well as via the Ombudsman.

• Awaab's Law (Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023)

  Sets legal time limits for social landlords such as NHG to investigate and fix reported damp, mould and other prescribed hazards. Particularly relevant given the leaks/damp/mould findings against NHG.

• Decent Homes Standard

  The government standard NHG's homes must meet; the RSH found NHG had a backlog of homes overdue for the survey needed to confirm compliance, relevant to property-condition complaints.

• Consumer Rights Act 2015

  Where NHG provides paid services, they should be carried out with reasonable care and skill; social tenancies are primarily governed by landlord-and-tenant law above. Not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions