A common reason complaints escalate is that the reply answered the complaint the agent expected rather than the one the tenant wrote. Separating the issues first, before any investigation, avoids that.
Read it once for sense, then again for claims
On the first read, get the overall picture: what went wrong, how the tenant feels, what they want. On the second, underline each distinct thing they say happened, say is owed, or say the law requires.
Four kinds of statement
It helps to label each underlined point:
| Kind | Example | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fact about what happened | "The boiler has been broken for three weeks" | Records: when it was reported, what was done |
| Claim about the law | "You're legally required to reduce my rent" | Checking against the legislation |
| Complaint about handling | "Nobody has replied to my emails" | Your correspondence log |
| Request for a remedy | "I want compensation" | A decision, often with the landlord |
Many sentences mix these. "It's illegal that you've left me without heating for three weeks" contains a fact (no heating, three weeks) and a legal claim (it's unlawful). Split them: you may accept the fact and still need to check the claim.
Group the points into issues
Tenants often repeat the same point in different words, or spread one problem across several paragraphs. Group the points into issues the way a property manager thinks about them: the heating, the damp, the deposit, the handling. Keep a note of each place the tenant raised it, so your reply can show you've read the whole thing.
A useful order when you write back is safety first (gas, electrics, alarms, damp and mould), then money (deposit, fees, rent), then how the tenancy and the complaint were handled.
Quote, don't paraphrase
When you record an issue, copy the tenant's own words for it. Paraphrasing is where meaning drifts: "the heating is unreliable" and "the boiler has been broken for three weeks" lead to different investigations. Using their words also shows, in your reply, that you've listened.
Don't judge yet
At this stage you're only recording what's alleged. Don't decide whether a legal claim is right or a fact is accurate. That comes after you've checked the law and pulled the records.
Casebriar does this step automatically: it splits a complaint into claims, keeps the tenant's exact words for each, groups them by topic and flags repeats. You still review the result.
Casebriar separates a tenant complaint into its issues, checks the legal claims it covers against legislation.gov.uk and lists the records you’ll need. It’s in a free pilot with letting agents in England.
Join the pilotSources
- GuidanceHousing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code (social housing)
- Good practiceThe Property Ombudsman