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A2Dominion Housing Group Limited (202007051)

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REPORT

COMPLAINT 202007051

A2Dominion Housing Group Limited

7 April 2021


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 residents request for the landlord to remove rubbish from her garden which had been concealed behind a fence by the previous tenant.

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. On 7 December 2020 the landlord issued its final response to the residents complaint. It said that it did not believe the resident had made her complaint in time and did not agree to remove the rubbish left by the previous tenant. However it offered to pay a total of £300 compensation for service failure issues.
  2. The resident was not happy with the offer of compensation so referred the case to this Service. The resident agreed to take part in our mediation process and explained the outstanding issues concerning her complaint. She said that she had no way of knowing that rubbish was present when she accepted the property in 2018 she understood that the garden ended at the fence visible from the property. In 2020, she discovered that the previous resident had erected the fence to obscure rubbish located beyond it. The area sectioned off by the fence was also part of the resident’s garden, however, she was unaware of its existence until this time. The resident explained that she reported the issue as soon as she became aware there was a problem in 2020. The resident explained that although she was able to remove some of the rubbish, she could not afford to remove all of it. In resolution of her complaint, she asked that the landlord remove the remainder of the rubbish from the garden at her property.
  3. On 12 March, our service contacted the landlord to explain the residents outstanding issues and the outcome she would accept in early resolution of her complaint.
  4. On 6 April, the landlord agreed to the resolution requested by the resident and said it would contact the resident directly to arrange a suitable time to remove the rubbish.
  5. 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’.”
  6. 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. The landlord should now arrange to contact the resident and arrange removal of the rubbish within the next four weeks.
  2. If it has not already done so, it should also arrange to make the payment of £300 which was previously offered to the resident.