Southern Housing · Case 202332647 · 29 October 2025
Southern Housing — case 202332647
The complaint about the landlord's repairs to the communal heating and hot water system was resolved with the Ombudsman's intervention. The landlord agreed to provide the resident with the information they had requested, and the Ombudsman made recommendations for it to do so within four weeks.
Orders and recommendations
- Take specific actionWithin 4 weeks
Provide the agreed information to the resident within 4 weeks.
- Take specific action
Provide the Ombudsman with documentary evidence that it has provided the information to the resident.
Findings by complaint head
Summarised automatically from the decision below. The Ombudsman's decision text is the authoritative record.
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Repairs to the communal heating and hot water system
Mediation / settlementThe resident complained about ongoing periods without heating or hot water and the landlord's maintenance of the communal boiler system. The resident's outstanding concern was a lack of information from the landlord, and they were not seeking additional compensation. Following the Ombudsman's intervention, the landlord agreed to provide the information requested (what went wrong, repairs carried out, preventative steps, and leaseholder cost liability). Subject to the landlord providing the information, the Ombudsman is satisfied the complaint is resolved satisfactorily.
The full determination
Decision Case ID 202332647 Decision type Investigation Landlord Southern Housing Landlord type Housing Association Occupancy Shared Ownership Date 29 October 2025 Background On, or around, 24 March 2023 the resident complained to the landlord about ongoing periods of having no heating or hot water. They said the landlord had failed to adequately maintain the communal boiler system over several years. The landlord issued its final response on 30 January 2024. At that time, some repairs had been carried out but the issue was not fully resolved.
The resident has since told us the communal boiler system has been fully repaired. They have not had any further issues with heating or hot water. What the complaint is about The complaint is about the landlord’s repairs to the communal heating and hot water system Our decision (determination) The complaint was resolved with our intervention. We have made recommendations for the landlord to put things right. Reasons We spoke to the resident on 8 October 2025. They explained their outstanding concern was a lack of information from the landlord.
They were not seeking any additional compensation. To resolve their complaint, they wanted to know: What had gone wrong with the boiler system and how this had happened. What repairs the landlord had carried out. What the landlord had done to prevent a similar situation in the future. Whether, as a leaseholder, they would be liable for any costs the landlord had incurred in carrying out the repairs. We contacted the landlord on 9 October 2025 and provided it with a summary of our understanding of the complaint.
We explained what the resident was seeking to resolve their complaint. Following our intervention, the landlord agreed to provide the resident with the information they had requested. Subject to the landlord providing the information, we are satisfied the complaint is resolved 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 now provide the agreed information to the resident within 4 weeks.
The landlord should provide us with documentary evidence that it has provided the information to the resident.
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.