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Thames Valley Housing Association Limited (201907582)

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REPORT

COMPLAINT 201907582

Thames Valley Housing Association Limited

8 July 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 landlords handling of the residents reports concerning gardening and guttering issues.

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. The resident received the final response to her complaint on 23 September 2020. Within this final response the landlord confirmed that the gardening issues had been resolved and provided actions to resolve the complaint about the guttering. It also offered compensation of £850. At the time the resident did not accept the compensation.
  2. On 26 June, our service spoke to the resident about her outstanding concerns. She confirmed the garden issues had been resolved and she explained that the guttering issues had been resolved in March 2021. She advised she did have an outstanding complaint related to cyclical maintenance, which had not been addressed in the final response issued on 23 September 2020. The resident had not accepted the compensation for the gardening and guttering issues as she believed the cyclical maintenance complaint to be part of her previous complaint.
  3. The landlord confirmed that a separate complaint for the cyclical maintenance had been raised and a stage one response was issued on 8 May 2021.
  4. This service was able to clarify with the resident that the complaint being considered under this case did not concern cyclical maintenance, therefore the £850 compensation was for the complaint about the gardening and guttering issues only.
  5. The resident explained she would now accept this sum in resolution of her complaint about gardening and guttering at the property. The landlord has since agreed to make the compensation payment previously offered.
  6. 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’.”
  7. 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.

Recommendations

  1. The landlord should arrange to make the compensation payment within four weeks of receiving the residents signed acceptance form.
  2. The landlord has been advised that it will be contacted separately concerning the residents outstanding complaint about cyclical maintenance.