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Sovereign Network Group (202304283)

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REPORT

COMPLAINT 202304283

Sovereign Network Homes (Former Network Homes)

16 July 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:
    1. Repairs to windows at the resident’s property.
    2. The associated complaint.

Background

  1. The resident is a leaseholder of the property, and the landlord is the freeholder. The resident’s property is a second-floor flat.
  2. On 5 January 2023, the resident contacted the landlord and reported water pouring through the living room window frame.
  3. The landlord’s contractor attended the resident’s property on 27 January 2023, to inspect the windows at her property and raised a work order. However, the work order was closed down.
  4. On 28 February 2023, the resident contacted the landlord and submitted a complaint. She explained it had been more than 10 working days since she had heard from the landlord about the repairs to the windows. The resident stated the window issues were causing ongoing damage and safety concerns.
  5. The landlord provided its stage 1 complaint response to the resident on 17 March 2023. It apologised for its lack of communication about the window repairs and for the inconvenience caused by the window issue remaining outstanding. The landlord explained it was in the process of obtaining a quote for the required works. It stated if the quote exceeded more than £250 per leaseholder, a section 20 consultation would be required. The landlord confirmed it would provide the resident with an update on 24 March 2023.
  6. On 4 April 2023, the landlord’s contractor visited the resident’s property to inspect her windows.
  7. The resident contacted the landlord on several occasions between April and July 2023 for an update on the window repairs.
  8. On 21 July 2023, the resident contacted the landlord and requested her complaint to be escalated to the next stage of the landlord’s complaints process. She stated it had been 7 months since she first reported the issues, and the landlord had not provided her with any indication of when the window repairs/replacement would be done.
  9. The landlord provided its stage 2 complaint response to the resident on 29 December 2023. It explained its contractor stated the 2 windows were not repairable and would require replacement. The landlord confirmed due to the costs involved, a section 20 consultation would be required. It offered the resident £1,580 compensation to recognise the distress and inconvenience caused by the outstanding window repairs. The compensation offer also included £50 to recognise the landlord’s complaint handling delays.
  10. The resident remained dissatisfied with the landlord’s response and submitted her complaint to the Ombudsman. She stated she would like to receive increased compensation for the distress and inconvenience caused by the landlord’s failure to repair the windows.
  11. The resident informed the Ombudsman in July 2025 that she hired her own window contractor to repair 2 of the windows at her property. The repairs were completed on 26 June 2025. The resident would like the landlord to reimburse her for the window repair costs and she has provided us with a copy of the invoices for the repairs.

Assessment and findings

Scope of investigation

  1. The resident has mentioned as part of her complaint that the delays in the window repairs remaining outstanding impacted her health and resulted in her being diagnosed with a medical condition which was aggravated more by stress. We acknowledge this has been a very difficult time for the resident. However, it is outside the Ombudsman’s role to determine whether there is a direct link between the landlord’s actions or inaction and any specific impact on the resident’s health. It would be more appropriately suited for a court or liability insurer to investigate this as a personal injury claim. Courts can award damages in a different way to the Ombudsman and review medical evidence. We can consider the distress and inconvenience caused by any errors by the landlord as well as the landlord’s response to the resident’s concerns about her health.

Repairs to windows at the resident’s property.

  1. The resident’s lease agreement states that the landlord is responsible for repairing the roof foundations, the main structure of the building and all external parts of the building, including windows and doors on the outside of the flats.
  2. The landlord’s repairs policy explains that it will respond and resolve an emergency repair within 4 hours, a routine repair within 5 working days or when mutually convenient, and a planned repair within 90 days.
  3. In January 2023, the resident contacted the landlord and reported that water was pouring through the living room window frame. As water was leaking through the window frame, we would have expected the landlord to carry out an urgent inspection of the window and complete the necessary repairs to make the window safe. However, the landlord failed to do this and did not carry out an inspection until 27 January 2023. The delay by the landlord was unreasonable.
  4. Following the inspection, there was a delay in the landlord obtaining the inspection report from its contractor to identify the required works. Due to this, the resident submitted a complaint to the landlord.
  5. It is positive that the landlord apologised for the delay in completing the window repairs. The landlord confirmed it needed to obtain a quote for the window works and explained it would need to carry out a section 20 consultation if the window repair costs exceeded more than £250 per leaseholder. The Ombudsman recognises the landlord was required to obtain quotes prior to completing any repairs to the windows. However, we would have expected the landlord to obtain these quotes within a reasonable period of time.
  6. The landlord’s contractor attended the resident’s property in April 2023 to inspect the windows. However, the landlord did not update the resident on the outcome of the inspection and the resident chased the landlord for an update multiple times between April and July 2023. The landlord’s failure to take any action following the inspection and keep the resident updated was unreasonable and would have caused her inconvenience.
  7. In July 2023, the landlord’s contractor carried out another inspection of the windows, due to the previous contractor who inspected the windows leaving the landlord. The contractor stated it could not identify any issues with the windows from inspection. However, shortly after, the resident contacted the landlord and explained that water was still leaking through the living room window frame and also through the bedroom window, which did not close properly. The landlord took appropriate steps by arranging for a surveyor to attend the resident’s property on 29 August 2023 to carry out a further inspection of the windows.
  8. There was a delay in any repairs being raised following the inspection. A work order was eventually raised in October 2023 for repairs to the living room and bedroom window. However, shortly after, the surveyor reviewed the work order and stated that it was likely the repairs would not resolve the window issues and instead recommended the 2 windows to be replaced. It was reasonable for the landlord to rely on the expertise of its qualified surveyor and replace the windows instead of repairing them. The landlord also took appropriate steps by contacting the resident in December 2023 to let her know the windows would need to be replaced, and a section 20 consultation would be required due to the cost of the windows.
  9. In December 2023, the landlord provided its stage 2 complaint response to the resident. It acknowledged and apologised for the further delays in completing the window repairs. The landlord offered the resident £1,530 compensation to recognise the distress and inconvenience caused by the outstanding window repairs. The amount of compensation offered was sufficient to recognise the distress and inconvenience caused by the landlord’s delays in repairing the windows. The amount of compensation offered by the landlord is in line with the Ombudsman’s approach to compensation set out in our remedies guidance (published on our website). The remedies guidance suggests awards of £1,000 or more where there have been serious failings by the landlord, which had a significant long-term impact on the resident.
  10. The landlord sent a section 20 notice to leaseholders for various works, including works to the windows at the block. The landlord initially sent a section 20 notice in January 2024. However, it sent a further notice in April and July 2024 due to the landlord being notified of other flats within the building experiencing window issues. The Ombudsman recognises this would have been outside the landlord’s control. However, we would have expected the landlord to carry out the repairs after the July 2024 section 20 notice expired, but it failed to do this.
  11. In October 2024, the resident obtained advice from a legal advice centre, and they wrote to the landlord on her behalf asking it to provide a timeframe for the window replacement. However, the landlord still failed to carry out the window replacement, which was unacceptable.
  12. Due to the landlord failing to replace the windows or resolve the repair issues, the resident hired her own contractor and paid for the living room window and bedroom to be repaired. The repairs were completed on 26 June 2025. The Ombudsman would normally expect a resident to obtain permission from the landlord prior to doing this. However, considering the window repair issues had been outstanding for over 2 years, and the landlord had not provided the resident with a planned completion date, we recognise why the resident took these steps. The landlord is ordered to reimburse the resident for the costs she paid towards the window’s repairs, which was £1,184.12. We will send the landlord a copy of the repair invoices with our report. The landlord should pay the reimbursement from its own account and not recharge the cost to the resident’s service charge because of the long delay in fixing the windows.
  13. The Ombudsman contacted the landlord in July 2025 to establish the reasons for the delay in completing the window repairs. The landlord explained due to window issues being identified at other properties, it did not go forward with the raised work orders. It also acknowledged it was unclear why no further action such as a condition survey had been completed. The landlord confirmed it would complete a condition survey by the end of this week for all the windows in the affected properties. This is an appropriate step. However, we recommend the landlord completes a condition survey of all the windows at the building to help identify any possible further window issues. The resident has also told us recently that she has repair issues with the second living room window and another bedroom window. Therefore, we recommend the landlord inspect these windows as part of the condition survey.
  14. Considering the landlord’s failure to replace or repair the windows. There has been severe maladministration by the landlord in its handling of repairs to windows at the resident’s property. It would be appropriate for the landlord to pay the resident an additional £250 compensation to recognise the distress and inconvenience caused by the further delays. This amount is in addition to £1,530 the landlord offered in its stage 2 complaint response. The total amount of compensation awarded is in line with the Ombudsman’s approach to compensation set out in our remedies guidance referenced above. It would also  be appropriate for the landlord to review the resident’s case and identify any areas for improvement with a focus on the delays related to the section 20 consultation process and delays in replacing the windows.

The associated complaint

  1. The Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code (the Code) sets out the Ombudsman’s expectations for landlords’ complaint handling practices. The Code states that a stage 1 response should be provided within 10 working days of the complaint. It also explains that a stage 2 response should be provided within 20 working days from the request to escalate the complaint. The landlord’s complaints policy includes the same timescales as referenced in the Code.
  2. The resident submitted her complaint to the landlord on 28 February 2023. Following this, the landlord sent an email on 2 March 2023 acknowledging it had logged her complaint and confirmed it would provide a response by 17 March 2023 The landlord then provided its stage 1 complaint response to the resident on 17 March 2023. The response was on time and compliant with the timescale referenced in the Code and the landlord’s own complaints policy.
  3. On 21 July 2023, the resident contacted the landlord and requested her complaint to be escalated to the next stage of the landlord’s complaints process. The landlord provided its stage 2 complaint response to the resident on 29 December 2023. The response was considerably late and not compliant with the timescales referenced within the Code and the landlord’s complaints policy.
  4. The landlord acknowledged in its stage 2 complaint response that there were delays with its complaint handling, which was positive, and it offered the resident £50 compensation. However, considering it took the landlord around 5 months to provide its stage 2 complaint response, the compensation offered was not sufficient to recognise the delay. Therefore, there has been a service failure in the landlord’s handling of the associated complaint. It would be appropriate for the landlord to pay the resident an additional £50 compensation to recognise the distress and inconvenience caused by the delay. The amount of compensation awarded is in line with the Ombudsman’s remedies guidance referenced above.

Determination (decision)

  1. In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was severe maladministration in the landlord’s handling of repairs to windows at the residents’ property.
  2. In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was a service failure in the landlord’s handling of the associated complaint.

Orders

  1. The landlord is ordered to:
    1. Provide a written apology to the resident for its handling of repairs to windows at the resident’s property. The apology should come from a senior member of staff at director level or above within the landlord’s organisation.
    2. Reimburse the resident £1,184.12 for the window repairs she paid for. The Ombudsman will provide the landlord with a copy of the invoice/receipt for the window repairs.
    3. Pay the resident £250 compensation for the distress and inconvenience caused by its handling of repairs to windows at the resident’s property. This amount is in addition to the £1,530 the landlord offered in its stage 2 complaint response.
    4. Pay the resident £50 compensation for the distress and inconvenience caused by its complaint handling errors. This amount is in addition to the £50 the landlord offered in its stage 2 complaint response.
  2. The landlord must comply with the above orders within 4 weeks of the date of this report, providing evidence to the Ombudsman that it has done so by the same date.
  3. The landlord is ordered to review the resident’s case and identify any areas for improvement with a focus on the delays related to the section 20 consultation process and delays in replacing the windows. The landlord should draft a report on its findings and provide a copy of the report to this service and the resident.
  4. The landlord must comply with the above order within 8 weeks of the date of this report, providing evidence to the Ombudsman that it has done so by the same date.

Recommendations

  1. We recommend the landlord completes a condition survey of all the windows at the resident’s building including the resident’s 2 other windows referenced above, within 4 weeks of the date of this report. The landlord should share the findings of this inspection with all residents in the building.