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London & Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q) (202311250)

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REPORT

COMPLAINT 202311250

London & Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q)

13 February 2025


Our approach

The Housing Ombudsman’s approach to investigating and determining complaints is to decide what is fair in all the circumstances of the case. This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme (the Scheme). The Ombudsman considers the evidence and looks to see if there has been any ‘maladministration’, for example, whether the landlord has failed to keep to the law, followed proper procedure, followed good practice, or behaved in a reasonable and competent manner.

Both the resident and the landlord have submitted information to the Ombudsman, and this has been carefully considered. Their accounts of what has happened are summarised below. This report is not an exhaustive description of all the events that have occurred in relation to this case, but an outline of the key issues as a background to the investigation’s findings.

The complaint

  1. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of:
    1. The property’s roof and gutter being in disrepair.
    2. The garden being overgrown. 

Background and summary of events

  1. The resident is an assured tenant of a 2-bedroom flat, which is part of a semi-detached house. She has lived at the property since 1992.
  2. The resident contacted the landlord on 22 February 2022. She said that the roof and guttering were damaged. Although the landlord raised a work order that day, no work was completed.
  3. The resident complained to the landlord on 25 January 2023. She said that the roof and gutter were in disrepair. She also said that trees in the garden were overgrown. The landlord sent a response at stage 1 of its complaint process on 26 January 2023. It told the resident to call it to raise new repairs jobs.
  4. The resident was in contact with the landlord over the following months asking for updates on the outstanding work to the roof and garden. Despite that, no repairs were completed on the roof. The landlord obtained a quote from a contractor for the garden work. It decided the quote was not within its budget. It said it would obtain another quote, but it did not do so.
  5. The resident complained about the lack of action on 7 June 2023. The landlord sent its stage 2 complaint response to the resident on 28 September 2023. It said that it had arranged for scaffolding to be erected on 10 October 2023 so it could inspect the roof. It said it would contact her neighbour to see if they could cut the overgrown trees, and it would update her about that. It apologised and offered £700 compensation for the distress and inconvenience, the lack of communication, the time and effort the resident had taken, and its delay in replying to her complaint.
  6. The resident received the compensation payment on 6 December 2023, along with a further £50 for the delay in paying it to her.
  7. The landlord completed the repairs to the roof on 9 June 2024. The landlord took no action regarding the garden.

Assessment and findings

  1. Paragraph 53.c. of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme states that, “the Ombudsman may determine the investigation of a complaint immediately if satisfied that the member has made an offer of redress following the Ombudsman’s intervention which, in the Ombudsman’s opinion, resolves the complaint satisfactorily.”

The Ombudsman’s intervention

  1. This service contacted the landlord on 24 January 2025 and provided it with a summary of the Ombudsman’s understanding of the events. This included the Ombudsman’s provisional comments as to what the landlord could do to resolve the resident’s complaint.

The landlord’s offer of redress

  1. On 31 January 2025 the landlord provided this Service with evidence that it had acted on the Ombudsman’s provisional comments, which included contacting a contractor to obtain a quote for the works needed in the garden. The landlord offered a further £300 compensation for the delays in completing the roof repairs and taking action regarding the garden.
  2. The resident informed the Ombudsman on 31 January 2025 that she is satisfied with this as a resolution to her complaint.
  3. The Ombudsman is therefore satisfied, following the intervention of this Service, that the landlord has now taken actions to remedy the matters raised which resolve the complaint satisfactorily. 

Determination

  1. In accordance with paragraph 53.c. of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, the landlord has made an offer of redress, following the Ombudsman’s intervention which, in the Ombudsman’s opinion, resolves the complaint satisfactorily.