Housing association tenants on Teesside could get a discount for substandard grass cutting after a failure of maintenance schedules over the summer led to countless complaints, it has emerged.

Beyond Housing confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service affected residents would see their service charges adjusted, but not until April next year.

Earlier this year the company faced criticism about the overgrown state of some areas, including in Redcar, Eston, Grangetown and Saltburn, with grass and shrubs not being cut to regular schedules and deadlines that had been given to tenants not being kept.

The work had been contracted out to Essex-based Ground Control, who Beyond said had not met its specifications for timely, quality grass cutting.

The latter was accused at the time of “failing miserably” with some communal areas where tenants live labelled a “mess” and a “shambles” with extra resources having to be brought in in the form of another contractor Ground Work to ensure schedules were caught up.

Redcar and Cleveland Council also received some of the backdraft and hosted briefings with Beyond bosses so councillors could be kept up to date with progress.

A spokesman for Beyond Housing, which manages 15,000 homes in the North-East and North Yorkshire, said: “Delays to green space maintenance this year have been unacceptable and we apologise to everyone who has been affected.

“Service charges for grounds maintenance are paid in arrears – where scheduled maintenance has not been delivered this year, customers will see service charges adjusted accordingly from April 2024.”

Councillor Adam Brook, the cabinet member for neighbourhoods and housing, previously told a meeting that it was hoped this year had been a “one off and that Beyond Housing now have arrangements in place to ensure that land within their ownership is maintained properly”.

With regard to compensation for residents, he said: “Beyond Housing have confirmed that there will be some recompense given to tenants who currently pay service charges for their gardening scheme, however this is yet to be determined.”

Recommended reading: 

Get more from The Northern Echo for just £3 for 3 months for a Premium Plus annual subscription or £47 for an annual subscription (saving 40%). Click here.

The same meeting of the council was told that the local authority had “faced the brunt of resident complaints due to the delays in grass cutting which has damaged our reputation”.

Meanwhile, the council leader Alec Brown said there had been “conversations behind the scenes with officers about future proofing residents from the same type of problem in the future” and to have plans in place regarding future delivery.