All our decisions are published here as part of our commitment to being open and transparent. The decisions are anonymised so residents’ names are not used, but landlords are named. The decisions date from December 2020 and are published three months after the final decision date. In some cases we may decide not to publish a decision if it is not in the resident’s or landlord’s interest or the resident’s anonymity may be compromised. You can read more in our guidance on decisions.
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports about the boiler, immersion, drainage system in the bathroom, damp and mould and external rendering and the condition of the kitchen flooring. The Ombudsman has also considered the landlord’s record keeping.
5e3f17a3-eb84-49d8-bbe8-b3eb0df1d5f0 From: Raj GuptaTo: Anne Page (Basildon Borough Council)Date: 11/12/2024 14:49:17Type: Outgoing Portal messageMessage: Dear sir/madam Complaint: 202334594 – Ms Wendy Wells, 47 Gardenia Court BASILDON, SS15 5PG I am writing to let you know that Ms […]
The complaint is about the landlord’s response to the resident’s reports that her kitchen extractor was not working effectively.
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s: Reports of harassment and noise by a neighbour. Concerns about staff and information they had provided to a third party. Associated complaint.
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of: Roof repairs and insulation to the resident’s property. Damp and mould in the resident’s property. The resident’s reports of concerns around the structural integrity of the building, communication and customer service. The resident’s reports of subsidence caused by tree roots. The resident’s reports of repairs to the stairs. The resident’s rent increases. The complaint. The landlord has a 2-stage complaint process. Its policy says it will provide a stage 1 response within 10 working days and stage 2 responses within 20 working days of an escalation request. The resident raised her complaint on 5 September 2022. Her complaint was in relation to the roofing issues and other concerns. She however did not raise any issues in relation to damp and mould at the time. It is also unclear when the resident raised her complaint in relation to the damp and mould with the landlord. However, the evidence shows that the local authority told the landlord of the resident’s concerns around the damp and mould on 24 November 2022. As such the Ombudsman finds it reasonable that the landlord treated this as the resident’s formal complaint. It would however have been helpful if the landlord had demonstrated it acknowledged the complaint as this may have provided a definite date when she raised her complaint. The landlord provided its stage 1 response to both issues on 27 January 2023. This was a delay of over 4 months in providing its stage 1 response in relation to the roofing repairs. It was also a delay of over 1 month in relation to the damp and mould. The landlord has not demonstrated that it requested any extensions or explained the reason for the delay in its response to the resident. Its delay and lack of proper explanations or updates were unreasonable. The resident then escalated her complaint on 3 February 2023. The landlord did not provide its stage 2 response until 16 October 2023. This is a delay of over 7 months. It has not demonstrated that it kept the resident updated about the reasons for the delay in its response, or that it requested an extension, and this was unreasonable. The landlord had explained in its response of 16 October 2023 that it would provide a further response in relation to compensation once it completed all the works. Due to delays in works, it did not provide its final position until July 2024. It had told the resident it would not provide its final position on the compensation until both parties agreed it had resolved the resident’s concerns. As such we consider this reasonable. To address its complaint handling failings, it offered the resident compensation of £150. This was in relation to the failure to consider the over 7 month delay between the stage 1 and 2 responses. It however did not consider the delay between the resident’s initial complaint and its stage 1 response. In summary, the landlord delayed in providing both its stage 1 and 2 responses. It has not shown that it communicated a reason for the delays to the resident at either stage. It offered the resident compensation of £150 to address the failings in its complaint handling. However, this was only in relation to the delay between the resident’s escalation and its stage 2 response. It does not consider the delays in its stage 1 response, or its failing to properly consider all the issues raised by the resident in her complaint such as the damage to her belongings. As such the Ombudsman finds that there was maladministration. The Ombudsman has ordered that the landlord pay the resident added compensation in line with the landlord’s compensation policy around the appropriateness, reasonableness, and proportionality of the failure in service to the failings identified. This is also in line with its policy around considering the length and frequency of situation, its severity, and its impact on the customer.
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of: The repairs including damp and mould in the property. Designating the resident as a new tenant rather than an existing one. The increase to the resident’s rent. The resident’s request for the deduction from his deposit to be repaid. The resident’s complaint.
The complaint is about: The landlord’s response to the resident’s concerns about the administration of her rent account and the calculation of her monthly direct debit. The landlord’s handling of the associated complaints.
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of: A blockage under the kitchen sink. Damp and mould in the property.
REPORT COMPLAINT 202308897 Haringey London Borough Council 23 December 2024 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 […]
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould due to disrepair. The landlord’s complaint handling will also be investigated.
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