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Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTV) (202313441)

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REPORT

COMPLAINT 202313441

Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTV)

6 May 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 handling of damp and mould at the resident’s property.

Background

  1. The resident is an assured tenant of the property, a 3-bedroom house. He has lived there with his partner and 3 children since June 2022.
  2. On 9 February 2023 the resident reported to the landlord he had rising damp in his kitchen. The landlord completed an inspection of the property on 13 February 2023.
  3. On 30 May 2023 the resident formally complained the landlord had not taken any action to address the damp in property since its inspection in February, despite him calling to chase it on 3 occasions.
  4. The landlord provided its stage 1 complaint response on 5 July 2023 and apologised for the inconvenience caused. It said there had been a service failure that delayed the repairs taking place and it offered the resident £90 compensation.
  5. The resident escalated his complaint with the landlord on 6 July 2023. The landlord provided its stage 2 response on 24 August 2023 and confirmed a number of repairs had been completed. It said 2 further jobs had been raised to address the issue, which would be completed by 29 October 2023. It offered the resident £690 compensation, made up of:
    1. £90 offered at stage 1.
    2. £100 for time and trouble.
    3. £100 for service failure.
    4. £400 goodwill gesture for damaged flooring in the kitchen.
  6. The resident remained dissatisfied and brought the complaint to us.
  7. The landlord contacted us on 20 May 2023 and said it had completed a further review of the resident’s complaint. It said the outstanding repairs were delayed by a further 43 days and it offered the resident an additional £400 compensation. In addition, the landlord offered to pay the resident for 2 missed days at work (£156.30).

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

The landlord’s offer of redress

  1. On 28 April 2025, the landlord provided us with evidence that it had acted on the Ombudsman’s provisional comments which would involve paying the resident a total of £1,560 compensation.
  2. The resident has informed us he is satisfied with this as a resolution to his 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.

Recommendations

  1. The landlord should pay the sum of £1,560 to the resident if it has not already done so.