Wandle Housing Association Limited (202112199)

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REPORT

COMPLAINT 202112199

Wandle Housing Association Limited

28 February 2022


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 a repair to a leak into the kitchen.

Determination (decision)

  1. In accordance with paragraph 55 (c) of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, the landlord has made an offer of redress to the complainant which, in the Ombudsman’s opinion, resolves the complaint satisfactorily.

How the complaint was resolved

  1. In June 2021, the resident had a leak come through their kitchen from the property above, which resulted in damage to the ceiling.
  2. The resident raised a formal complaint to the landlord about its handling of the leak and associated repairs and it provided tis final response to the complaint on 31 July 2021. It upheld the complaint as it found service failure in its handling of the repairs and offered the resident £350 compensation in recognition of this.
  3. The resident brought the complaint to the Ombudsman and confirmed that the leak had been repaired however, said that remedial works were required to their kitchen fan, and they remained unhappy with the standard of the decorative works the landlord had carried out. The resident said that that they were also seeking an increased offer of compensation for the service failure they experienced and, compensation for their damaged belongings.
  4. This Service wrote to the landlord on 7 January 2022, with details of the outstanding issues noted by the resident and the outcomes they sought. In response, it agreed to increase its offer of compensation for the service failure to a total of £500 and confirmed that it would repair the fan to the kitchen, to resolve the complaint. It said that it would not however, offer compensation for the resident’s damaged possessions or redecorate the kitchen, as this was the resident’s responsibility according to its repair policy.
  5. We discussed the landlord’s offered resolution with the resident. They confirmed that they accepted the landlord’s offer of compensation and its agreement to repair the fan. The resident reiterated their concerns about the decorative works and noted that it was the landlord who had done the decorative work. We contacted the landlord again and asked whether it would review its position in light of the fact that the works the resident raised concerns about, was that it has previously carried out.
  6. The landlord responded that while it could review the decorative works it carried out, it had concern that these works may fall short of the resident’s expectations again. To address this, it offered the resident £150 to cover the cost of hiring a private contractor to complete the decorative work. In addition, it confirmed that the kitchen fan was replaced on 9 February 2022.
  7. Paragraph 55 (c) of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme states that:
    1. “At any time, 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. This will result in a finding of ‘resolved with intervention’.”
  8. The landlord has offered to pay the resident compensation for the service failure in its handling of the matter, which the resident has accepted. As well as this, it has confirmed that it will replace the fan and has offered the resident compensation to cover the cost of addressing the decorative works they raised concerns about.
  9. 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.

Recommendation

  1. That the landlord arrange for the following compensation payments to be made to the resident, within three weeks of this report:
    1. £500 for the service failure it found in its handling of the repair.
    2. £150 for the cost of the resident arranging a private contractor to address the decorative works carried out.
  2. The above determination is dependent on the landlord completing the actions it agreed. Therefore, the landlord is to provide confirmation to this Service once the payment has been made. The landlord is to also confirm that the fan has been replaced.