London Borough of Barking and Dagenham · Case 202326022 · 19 March 2026
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham — case 202326022
The landlord failed to follow up on reimbursing the resident for around a year of lost Sky TV service caused by a communal aerial fault. Following the Ombudsman's intervention, the landlord offered £626.13 (including £100 for delays and inconvenience), which the resident accepted, resolving the complaint satisfactorily.
Orders and recommendations
- Apology
The landlord should apologise to the resident.
- Compensation
The landlord should pay the resident £626.13 and provide documentary evidence of payment.
Compensation ordered
| Reason | Amount |
|---|---|
| Loss of Sky TV service reimbursement | £526 |
| Delays, time and inconvenience | £100 |
| Total | £626 |
Findings by complaint head
-
Handling of repairs to the TV aerial
Reasonable redressThe landlord acknowledged the fault with the communal TV aerial that disrupted the resident's Sky TV service for around a year and agreed to consider reimbursing costs but failed to follow up. Following the Ombudsman's intervention, the landlord offered £626.13 for the loss of Sky TV service including £100 for delays, time and inconvenience. The resident confirmed satisfaction with this offer, and the Ombudsman was satisfied this resolved the complaint satisfactorily.
The full determination
Decision Case ID 202326022 Decision type Investigation Landlord London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Landlord type Local Authority / ALMO or TMO Occupancy Assured Tenancy Date 19 March 2026 Background The resident lives in a maisonette owned by the landlord, who is responsible for maintaining the communal TV aerial that serves the building. A fault with the communal aerial disrupted the resident’s Sky TV signal, leaving her without a Sky service for around 1 year. Although the landlord acknowledged the issue and agreed to consider reimbursing her Sky TV costs, it failed to follow up.
As a result, the resident brought her complaint to us. What the complaint is about The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of repairs to the TV aerial. Our decision (determination) The case was resolved with our intervention. We have made recommendations for the landlord to put things right. Summary of reasons The landlord has agreed to pay compensation for reimbursement of loss of Sky Tv plus additional compensation for the delays in resolving the issue. We may determine the investigation of a complaint immediately if satisfied that the member has made an offer of redress following our intervention which, in our opinion, resolves the complaint satisfactorily.
We contacted the landlord and provided a summary of our understanding of the events. This included evidence showing that the resident had emailed her Sky TV bills to the landlord in April 2024, along with how the landlord could resolve the complaint. The landlord offered to pay the resident £626.13 for the loss of Sky TV service, including £100 to reflect the delays, time and inconvenience experienced. The resident confirmed to us that she was satisfied with this offer as a resolution to the complaint.
We are therefore satisfied that, following our intervention, the landlord has agreed to take appropriate action to remedy the issues raised, and that this resolves the complaint satisfactorily. Putting things right Recommendations The complaint has been resolved with intervention on the basis the landlord follows our recommendations. Our recommendations The landlord should apologise to the resident and pay her £626.13. The landlord should provide documentary evidence that it has paid the total amount of compensation to the resident.
Learning The landlord should review its poor communications to find out what went wrong and put measures in place to improve its communications.
This is a structured summary of a published determination. The official decision is the authoritative record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.