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Waverley Borough Council (202325369)

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REPORT

COMPLAINT 202325369

Waverley Borough Council

18 August 2025

 

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 resident’s complaint is about the landlord’s handling of:
    1. Damp and mould in the property.
    2. Her request for reimbursement for her damaged belongings.

Determination (decision)

  1. In accordance with paragraph 53 (c) of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, the landlord has made an offer of redress, following the Ombudsman’s intervention which, in the Ombudsman’s opinion, resolves the complaint satisfactorily.

How the complaint was resolved

  1. The resident held a secure tenancy at the property, which she had succeeded to in 2009. The property was a grade 2 listed 1 bedroom terraced house. The resident lived there with her husband.
  2. On 19 April 2022, the resident submitted a compensation claim to the landlord. She said that its failure to resolve damp and mould in the property had resulted in damage to her furniture and clothing. She estimated the total cost of this at £2,335. The landlord logged this as a stage 1 complaint.
  3. On 9 May 2022, the landlord provided its stage 1 response to the resident’s complaint. It said that:
    1. Its contractor had inspected the property earlier in the year and identified that the damage to the resident’s belongings was due to condensation.
    2. Its contractor had given the resident advice on how to reduce condensation. This included adequately heating and ventilating the property and keeping furniture away from external walls.
    3. It had also installed a ‘positive input ventilation system’ to the property to reduce the levels of moisture.
    4. It was the resident’s responsibility to insure her belongings. It signposted her to her insurance company to recoup any losses.
  4. The resident wrote to the landlord on 20 February 2023. She said that problems with damp and mould in the bedroom were persisting and her and her husband were now sleeping in the living room due to it. She said the windows in the property were old, single glazed and difficult to open, whilst the insulation was poor. She provided a list of items damaged by the mould and asked the landlord to reconsider her complaint.
  5. The landlord provided its stage 2 complaint response on 22 March 2023. It said that:
    1. It had renewed the windows to the property in 2017. It was unable to install double glazed units due to the property being grade 2 listed.
    2. There was “very little scope to make any further improvements to deal effectively with the damp and mould.”
    3. It had carried out a mould wash in the bedroom, but it was important that the resident continued to heat and ventilate the property properly or the mould would return.
    4. It was unable to compensate her for the damage to her belongings as it was “very likely that this damage had been caused by lack of ventilation and effective heating.”
    5. It was in discussions with her about the possibility of moving to more suitable accommodation.
  6. On 11 March 2024, the resident and her husband moved into a new property within the landlord’s stock.
  7. On 16 March 2024, the resident asked us to investigate her complaint. She said she remained dissatisfied with the landlord’s decision not to compensate her for her damaged belongings.
  8. When providing information for this investigation on 30 September 2024, the landlord told us it had reviewed the resident’s complaint. It said it would now like to offer her £3,000 compensation for its handling of the damp and mould in her former home and £250 for its complaint handling.
  9. On 11 August 2025, we discussed this offer with the resident. She advised that she considered £3,500 a satisfactory offer to settle her complaint. On 12 August 2025, the landlord agreed to increase its offer of compensation to this amount.
  10. Paragraph 53 (c) of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme states that:
    1. “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.”
  11. 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.

Recommendation

  1. The landlord should pay the resident compensation of £3,500. The finding of resolved with intervention is contingent upon this.