Landlord Record

London Borough of Hounslow · Case 202345175 · 29 January 2026

London Borough of Hounslow — case 202345175

Outside jurisdiction

The complaint about the landlord's response to ongoing roof leaks was not investigated because it is outside the Ombudsman's jurisdiction. The resident had previously brought a county court claim against the landlord regarding the same subject matter, and the Ombudsman considers such complaints better suited to the court process.

Findings by complaint head

  • Response to reports of ongoing roof leaks

    Outside jurisdiction

    The complaint is outside the Ombudsman's jurisdiction because the resident previously made a county court claim against the landlord about the same subject matter (failure to carry out roof repairs). The Ombudsman considers this complaint better suited to the court process and may not consider complaints where the resident had the opportunity to raise the subject matter as part of legal proceedings.

The full determination

Decision Case ID 202345175 Decision type Jurisdiction Landlord London Borough of Hounslow Landlord type Local Authority / ALMO or TMO Occupancy Secure Tenancy Date 29 January 2026 Background The landlord carried out works to the roof in 2022. On 14 June 2022 the resident made a claim against the landlord to the county court. The claim was for its failure to carry out repairs to the roof which damaged his flooring. On 7 June 2023 the resident told the court he wished to withdraw his claim due to ill health.

During June 2023 the resident rejected the landlord’s offer of compensation for damage to his flooring. On 2 July 2023 the resident emailed the landlord to say he intended to start a new court claim which he thought would be a continuation on the grounds of ill health. A general form of judgement or order was issued by the court on 28 July 2023 confirming the case was dismissed. There was no order as to costs. What the complaint is about The complaint is about the landlord’s response to the resident’s reports of ongoing roof leaks.

Our decision (determination) We have not investigated the resident’s complaint because it is outside our jurisdiction. Reasons We may not investigate complaints that we think are more suited for resolution through the courts, other tribunal or procedure. We acknowledge that the resident asked to withdraw his claim because he was unwell. However, we feel this complaint is better suited to the court process. In making this decision we have considered that: The resident previously made a claim against the landlord about the subject matter of the complaint.

We may not consider complaints where the resident had the opportunity to raise the subject matter of the complaint as part of legal proceedings.

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.

Similar decisions

Other determinations involving London Borough of Hounslow or the same complaint category.