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London & Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q) (202325052)

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REPORT

COMPLAINT 202325052

London & Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q)

30 May 2025


Our approach

Under our early resolution process, the Ombudsman works with the resident and landlord to explore the issues in dispute, identify the matters that remain outstanding and assist in reaching an agreed settlement.

The complaint

  1. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of repairs to the communal stopcock.

Determination (decision)

  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.

How the complaint was resolved

  1. The resident is a leaseholder.
  2. In, or around, December 2021 the resident reported to the landlord that they needed to carry out repairs to the stopcock in their property. This would require the landlord to turn off the water to the building.
  3. The landlord raised a works order on 7 December 2021 for a plumber to locate the external stopcock and ensure it was working. It raised a further works order on 6 February 2022 for a repair to the external stopcock as it had become seized.
  4. In February 2023 the resident made a complaint to the landlord about delays in carrying out the repair to the stopcock.
  5. The landlord issued its final response on 30 November 2023. It accepted that there had been failures in its handling of the repair and its communications with the resident. It said it had repaired a communal stopcock but understood the resident still needed to fix the stopcock in their property. It advised it could not turn the building water off but that it could send a plumber to assess whether the resident’s water supply could be frozen while they replaced the internal stopcock. It offered £820 in compensation comprising:

£360 for distress (£40 x 9 months).

£180 for inconvenience (£20 x 9 months).

£180 for time and effort in reporting matters (£20 x 9 months).

£100 for the delay in issuing its stage 2 response.

  1. The resident referred their complaint to us. They said that the landlord had not completed the repair as it had carried out works to the wrong stopcock. They also said that it was not possible to freeze their water supply and they had previously made the landlord aware of this.
  2. On 6 May 2025 the landlord confirmed to us that it had completed the repair to the communal stopcock.
  3. We spoke to the resident on 8 May 2025. They advised the landlord had not told them it had completed the repair. They also said the landlord had told them it would pay the £820 compensation by cheque but they had never received this. They explained that, to resolve their complaint, they would like the previously offered £820, plus additional compensation to cover the time since the landlord’s final response.
  4. We wrote to the landlord the same day to ask if it would be willing to consider increasing its offer of compensation. We advised that, using the same calculations it had used previously but over 18 months (December 2023 to May 2025), this would be an additional £1,440. We also asked it to confirm that it would reissue the original £820 compensation and provide written notification to the resident that it had completed the repair. We explained the resident had asked that any compensation was paid directly into their bank account, rather than by cheque.
  5. The landlord agreed to the resident’s proposed resolution. It wrote to the resident on 14 May 2025 to advise it had completed the repair and ask for their bank details so it could pay the £2,260 compensation.
  6. We spoke to the resident on 14 May 2025 who confirmed they had received the landlord’s email and responded to it. They confirmed they were happy with the outcome to their complaint. On 22 May 2025 the landlord provided us with evidence that it had authorised the payment of £2,260 to the resident’s bank account.
  7. 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”

  1. I am 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. This is because the repairs are completed and the landlord has offered compensation which the resident believed was fair.

Recommendations

  1. The landlord should ensure the payment reaches the resident’s bank account.