Shared Ownership Resources is committed to providing a safe, fair and respectful environment for everyone who interacts with our project. This includes people who use our services, volunteers, suppliers and partners. (Shared Ownership Resources does not employ staff.)

Shared ownership can divide opinion. Some shared owners have had a good experience, whilst others have had a bad experience. We recognise that tensions can sometimes run high. However, we will not tolerate unacceptable behaviour – online or elsewhere.

What do we mean by unacceptable behaviour?

Examples of unacceptable behaviour include:

• misleading comments and abusive, offensive, derogatory or threatening language
• aggressive or intimidating behaviour, physical violence or threats of violence
• unreasonable demands (demands that pose an excessive burden on our resources, making it challenging to meet other peoples’ needs)
• malicious allegations (false or unsubstantiated allegations), and
• defamation or misinformation about Shared Ownership Resources and/or anyone acting on behalf of the organisation.

Bullying and harassment

Bullying and harassment can be harder to recognise than some other types of unacceptable behaviour, despite potentially serious consequences. For this reason, we have a separate policy specifically on bullying and harassment.

How will we deal with unacceptable behaviour?

We will deal with all examples of unacceptable behaviour fairly. We recognise that circumstances mean that people can sometimes act out of character. If appropriate we will give an opportunity to modify unacceptable behaviour before taking action.

Any action we take will be proportionate to the circumstances, and will depend on the nature of the unacceptable behaviour. We will consider the potential impact on other people, including the need to safeguard vulnerable individuals.

Actions

We will publish this policy as applicable (for example, here on the website and in social media groups) and remove online posts that do not comply.

Comments on the Shared Ownership Resources website are moderated through prior approval processes before publishing. In the event that a comment is deemed unacceptable, we will inform the individual why we have decided not to publish it.

We will escalate our response if unacceptable behaviour is extreme enough to impact the safety or welfare of others. This could include ending all contact, reporting the unacceptable behaviour and/or taking legal action.

Last updated 15/9/2025