Great Places Housing Association — case 202337967

Decision Case ID 202337967 Decision type Investigation Landlord Great Places Housing Association Landlord type Housing Association Occupancy Secure Tenancy Date 20 February 2026 Background The resident reported a leak, damp, and mould in his property. He complained about the time taken for the landlord to arrange the works to resolve the issues. What the complaint is about The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of: The resident’s reports of a leak and damp and mould.

The complaint Our decision (determination) We have found: Maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of a leak and damp and mould. No maladministration in the landlord’s complaint handling. We have made orders for the landlord to put things right. Summary of reasons The landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of a leak and damp and mould The landlord responded to the resident’s reports of damp and mould and conducted surveys in line with its policies.

However, there were delays in completing the follow up works required. The landlord failed to demonstrate that it acted appropriately to avoid these delays and resolve the issues at the earliest opportunity. The landlord’s handling of the complaint The landlord responded to the resident’s complaint in line with its complaint policy. Putting things right Where we find service failure, maladministration or severe maladministration we can make orders for the landlord to put things right.

We have the discretion to make recommendations in all other cases within our jurisdiction. Orders Landlords must comply with our orders in the manner and timescales we specify. The landlord must provide documentary evidence of compliance with our orders by the due date set. Order What the landlord must do Due date 1 Apology order The landlord must apologise in writing to the resident for the failures identified in this report. The landlord must ensure: The apology is specific to the failures identified in this decision, meaningful and empathetic.

It has due regard to our apologies guidance. No later than 20 March 2026 2 Compensation order The landlord must pay the resident £100 to recognise the distress and inconvenience caused by its failure to resolve the issues at the earliest opportunity. This must be paid directly to the resident by the due date. The landlord must provide documentary evidence of payment by the due date. No later than 20 March 2026 Our investigation The complaint procedure Date What happened 30 October 2023 The resident complained to the landlord about a leak in his property which he said was causing mould.

He said it was also impacting his neighbour’s property below. He wanted the landlord to fix the leak as soon as possible. 7 November 2023 The landlord provided its stage 1 response. It set out a timeline of when the resident had reported damp and mould and what actions it had taken. It said a specialist survey had been raised. It acknowledged the inconvenience of someone having to be present in the property for this to take place but stated it was important that it was carried out.

11 December 2023 The resident escalated his complaint to stage 2. He stated there had been difficulties in arranging the specialist survey and wanted to arrange a different contractor. He said there had been no contact and no repairs arranged. The resident said he had been living with spreading mould for 2 months and outlined health concerns related to this. 18 January 2024 The landlord provided its stage 2 response. It said it had made several attempts to arrange the damp survey.

It said if the resident confirmed a preferred time, the landlord would attempt to make alternative arrangements. It did not uphold the resident’s complaint as it said it had been unable to identify service failure. Referral to the Ombudsman The resident brought his complaint to us. He felt he had been neglected by the landlord and it had not taken appropriate action to resolve the reported issues. He said he wanted the mould and leak dealt with and compensation from the landlord.

What we found and why The circumstances of this complaint are well known by the parties involved, so it is not necessary to detail everything that’s happened or comment on all the information we’ve reviewed. We’ve only included the key information that forms the basis of our decision of whether the landlord is responsible for maladministration. Complaint Handling of the resident’s reports of a leak and damp and mould Finding Maladministration The landlord has a damp and mould policy which sets out how it will respond to reports of damp and mould.

This policy states the landlord aims to respond to reports of damp and mould within 10 working days. It says that when a report is received from a resident, the landlord will arrange for an appointment as soon as possible and at a time that suits the resident. Full day, morning, or afternoon slots are offered. The landlord’s policy also says that a response to damp and mould reports sits with the repairs service. The landlord’s repair policy says appointments will be confirmed with residents at a time that is convenient to them and meets their individual needs.

It says that routine repairs will be attended within 20 working days. The records show that the resident reported damp in January 2023. There were some initial issues with obtaining access, however, we can see that the landlord inspected the property, and remedial works were completed in March 2023. There were no further reports from the resident until October 2023. Following a report from the resident of damp and mould in the bathroom, a job was raised on 16 October 2023 for inspection and repairs.

This inspection was carried out on 25 October 2023. This was within the 10 working day timescale set out in the landlord’s damp and mould policy, which was appropriate. This inspection identified that condensation and mould were present in the property. It said a specialist survey was required. A job was raised for a specialist contractor to attend and provide a report on its findings and a quote to complete works. The landlord said the contractor had attempted to make an appointment with the resident.

It explained that the contractor would only be able to attend during working hours, which may have been similar to the resident’s own working hours and caused complications in scheduling an survey. The landlord explained the importance of the survey taking place, to identify what issues there may be and what repairs were required. The landlord’s explanation and response to the resident’s concern about the appointment was reasonable. An internal email from the landlord indicates that the contractor contacted the resident on 15 November 2023 to arrange an appointment.

This email also says that the contractor had an appointment with the resident for the previous Friday. However, this was cancelled by the resident due to a conflicting hospital appointment. This email also refers to another contractor being asked to attend the property to investigate the source of the leak, however, no records are available relating to this appointment. There is no further evidence available relating to how the reported leak was dealt with at this time. The specialist contractor carried out the damp survey on 21 November 2023.

This report identified that there was damp and set out what follow up works were required in the bathroom. The report stated that it appeared plumbing works had been carried out and the leak addressed. No records are available relating to this. It also says that the resident would need to be vacated from the property for the duration of the works. In his stage 2 complaint, the resident complained that since the completion of the survey, there had been no contact with him and no repairs had been arranged.

In its stage 2 response, the landlord stated that it had made several attempts to arrange an appointment but the resident had not advised of a convenient time for the works to be completed. While we are unable to comment on this due to the lack of communication records available, the principle of coordinating with the resident to identify a convenient time for an appointment is in line with the landlord’s damp and mould and repairs policies. It would have been reasonable for the landlord to have provided evidence of its attempts to contact the resident and raise the repairs.

In not doing so, we cannot conclude that its handling of the issues was appropriate in all the circumstances. We have not seen evidence which shows the landlord completed the follow on works identified on the survey. The resident made further reports of damp and mould in February and March 2024, and the related works are shown as completed on 30 May 2024. The resident has confirmed the issues are now resolved. We can see the landlord experienced some initial difficulties in obtaining access and scheduling appointments.

There is also some suggestion that the leak was stopped prior to the survey in November 2023. However, it is not clear why there was such a delay in completing the follow on works after the survey in November 2023. The landlord attributed this to scheduling issues with the resident. However, the absence of records means the landlord has failed to demonstrate that it acted appropriately at all times to ensure there were no unnecessary delays in completing follow up works and resolving the issues in the resident’s property.

The landlord must pay the resident compensation of £100. This amount is in line with our remedies guidance for when there has been a failure by the landlord which it did not appropriately acknowledge or put right. Complaint The handling of the complaint Finding No maladministration The landlord has a customer feedback policy which sets out a 2-stage complaint handling process. Stage 1 complaints should be acknowledged within 5 working days and a response should be provided within 10 working days of acknowledgment.

Stage 2 complaints should be acknowledged within 5 working days and a response provided within 20 working days of acknowledgment. This policy is in line with the Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code (the Code). The resident raised a stage 1 complaint on 30 October 2023. The landlord sent an acknowledgment on 3 November 2023, 4 working days later. It provided its response on 7 November 2023. This was within 6 working days of the resident making the complaint. The landlord’s acknowledgment and response times were appropriate and in line with the timeframes set out in the landlord’s complaints policy and the Code.

The resident escalated his complaint to stage 2 on 11 December 2023. The landlord provided its stage 2 response on 18 January 2024. This was 25 working days after the resident escalated his complaint to stage 2. The landlord’s complaint policy and the Code allow for 5 working days for acknowledging a complaint and 20 working days to provide a response, a total of 25 working days from when the resident escalates their complaint to stage 2. Although it is unclear whether the landlord acknowledged the resident’s stage 2 escalation, it provided its response within the timelines set out in its policy and the Code.

Learning Knowledge information management (record keeping) There were limited records available in this case, including evidence of the issues being resolved. No records have been provided of the landlord’s communication with the resident. It is important that landlords keep clear, accurate, and accessible records. This will help avoid any confusion and help the landlord to form clear timelines around when an issue has been raised and what actions have been taken to resolve them.

Accurate records can also be relied upon if a dispute arises. They can help the landlord to demonstrate that it has responded appropriately. Communication While we are unable to determine whether the landlord gave the resident notice of appointments as required by its policy, the landlord should ensure that it communicates clearly with residents about appointments to reduce the likelihood of no access. This will help to reduce delays in resolving the issues raised.