London & Quadrant Housing Trust (202220464)

REPORT

COMPLAINT 202220464

London & Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q)

22 August 2025

Our approach

The Housing Ombudsman’s approach to investigating and determining complaints is to decide what is fair in all the circumstances of the case. This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme (the Scheme). The Ombudsman considers the evidence and looks to see if there has been any ‘maladministration’, for example whether the landlord has failed to keep to the law, followed proper procedure, followed good practice or behaved in a reasonable and competent manner.

Both the resident and the landlord have submitted information to the Ombudsman and this has been carefully considered. Their accounts of what has happened are summarised below. This report is not an exhaustive description of all the events that have occurred in relation to this case, but an outline of the key issues as a background to the investigation’s findings.

The complaint

1. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of:
   1. Repairs to the resident’s roof and kitchen window.
   2. The associated complaint.

Background

2. The resident occupies a one-bedroom flat under an assured tenancy with the landlord, which is a housing association.
3. The landlord recorded in October 2023 that a roof leak in the resident’s property was a reoccurring issue and the rain was causing damage to the living room ceiling. The following month, the landlord recorded that the resident’s kitchen window was rotten with mould and there was a gap causing a draught. When cleaning the window due to the mould, the draught excluder was getting wet and falling out. It was also noted that the window needed replacing.
4. On 11 January 2024, the resident contacted the landlord to complain about how long it was taking to resolve the repair issues. She said her property was cold due to a gap in the kitchen window and the roof leak was causing damp and mould. She said she had not received an update on the window repair and the roof repair had been booked in for 18 March 2024 but she was working then and it was unclear if she needed to be at home.
5. The landlord provided its stage 1 response on 15 January 2024. It confirmed that, if the complaint related to a previous kitchen window repair, then the resident should refer her complaint to a named member of staff, as this had previously been dealt with under a different complaint reference number. The landlord confirmed its contractors were due to attend to the roofing repair on 18 March 2023 (presumably this was an error and the landlord meant 2024). The landlord also raised a new repair for the damp and mould, as it was not previously reported and did not form part of the complaint.
6. The resident responded to the landlord on 18 January 2024, saying that she was unhappy with how long the repair process was taking. She was also concerned about high energy bills due to the draught from the window. She requested a new window to resolve the issue. The resident then escalated her complaint to stage 2 on 16 February 2024, saying to the landlord that she was frustrated with the lack of communication and progress on her complaint. She also wanted compensation due to ongoing issues and poor service.
7. The landlord provided its stage 2 response on 16 October 2024. The landlord confirmed that the roof repair previously booked for 18 March 2024 did not happen, as there was no scaffolding erected as required, and was therefore booked for 18 November 2024. It said that it had received quotes for the window, however there was a 10 to 12-week delivery timescale. It had also arranged for a mould wash to be completed. The landlord offered £820 total compensation to the resident, broken down as follows:
   1. Complaint handling/service failure £240.
   2. Inconvenience £240.
   3. Stress for delays in repairs £240.
   4. Time and effort £100.
8. As the resident was still unhappy, she contacted us to investigate her complaint due to the effect it had on her time, having to wait in for appointments including the missed appointment, and having to chase the repairs and complaint. By 7 March 2025, the landlord recorded in its repair log that its roofers were to attend and insulate the resident’s loft space and check if all roofing works had been completed. On 15 April 2025, internal email correspondence confirmed that the scaffolding used for the window replacement works could be taken down as the works were complete.

Assessment and findings

Scope of investigation

13. It is noted that the resident previously reported leaks in her property in 2022 and, when reporting the leak in October 2023, she stated this was a recurring issue. While this is noted, this investigation has focused on the landlord’s handling of the resident’s recent reports from October 2023 onwards that were raised and considered during the landlord’s complaints process. This is because we may not consider complaints that were not brought to the landlord’s attention as a formal complaint within a reasonable period of normally within 12 months of the matters arising, and the resident’s stage 1 complaint was made in January 2024.

Repairs to the roof

9. On 19 October 2023, the landlord logged that the leaking roof needed repairing. According to the landlord’s repair policy, the repair should have been completed within 25 calendar days, which is its target for routine day-to-day repairs. However, the landlord did not raise a repair until 22 December 2023 and the repair was subsequently scheduled for 18 March 2024. The landlord has confirmed that the repair could not be completed on this date, as scaffolding had not been erected. This is of concern, given how long the resident had already waited for the repair to take place and indicates a failure to properly plan and schedule the repairs.
10. On 26 June 2024, the landlord raised a repair noting that there was damaged brickwork and loose pointing on the rear wall by the living room window, which was allowing water penetration when it rained. However, there is no evidence of the landlord taking any further action to progress the repair until after the resident pursued her complaint about the matter.
11. In its stage 2 response, the landlord confirmed that it had arranged for scaffolding to be erected on 18 November 2024 and for the repair to be completed on or after this date. However, the repair was not completed until April 2025. The landlord’s records indicate that the contractor was sick and unable to attend one appointment and that the resident cancelled another. When the landlord rescheduled the repair in February 2025, the next available appointment was not until 11 April 2025.
12. Therefore, it took the landlord nearly 18 months to complete the roof repair, and this is of serious concern given the effect the roof leak was having on the living conditions in the property. We also note that the resident told us in July 2025 that the roof is still leaking and, accordingly, we have ordered that the landlord inspects the property and establishes if any further repairs are needed.

Repairs to the window

13. In November 2023, the landlord recorded that the resident’s kitchen window had a gap, was rotten, and needed replacing. It appears that no action was taken until 21 June 2024, when the landlord raised a repair for a replacement window. The landlord says it received quotes for the replacement window in August 2024 and, following this, there was a 10 to 12-week wait before delivery. The repair records indicate that scaffolding was erected and the window was installed at the end of February 2025.
14. We recognise that specialist works can be more complex, require longer lead times, and may involve sourcing particular materials or engaging specific contractors. However, the overall timescale to complete the window replacement works after 15 months was excessive and unreasonable, with there being long periods of inactivity by the landlord.

The landlord’s offer to put things right

15. The landlord awarded the resident £820 compensation in total, and it appears that £580 if this was awarded in recognition of the repair handling failings. Given the failings identified above, it was appropriate that the landlord offered compensation to the resident to put things right. However, the landlord’s offer was not proportionate to the failings identified and resulting effect on the resident. This is because, while it was within the range of compensation recommended by our remedies guidance for failures that adversely affected the resident, a higher range of compensation is recommended for failures that significantly affected the resident, as in this case.
16. It is also concerning that the landlord did not demonstrate any evidence of improvement in its service delivery or learning particularly, in line with the Ombudsman’s spotlight report on repairs. The failure to evidence such reflection highlights the risk of similar failings occurring. The landlord has been ordered to arrange an inspection of the resident’s property to establish if the roof repairs have been successful and confirm to the resident details of any further works required including timescales.
17. Therefore, further compensation has been ordered below of £400 for the handling of the roof and window repairs, as well as the £580 it previously awarded if this has not been paid already. This is in line with our remedies guidance’s recommendation of awards in this range for failures that significantly affected the resident.

Complaint handling

18. At the time of the complaint, the landlord operated a 2-stage complaints process. Its complaints policy said it was to provide a stage 1 response within 10 working days of a complaint being raised and a stage 2 response within 20 working days of the complaint being escalated. This was in line with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code (the Code).
19. The resident made her stage 1 complaint on 11 January 2024. The landlord provided its response on 15 January 2024 which was in line with its policy. The resident then escalated her complaint on 16 February 2024. The landlord should have provided its response by 15 March 2024. However, the landlord provided its response on 16 October 2024, which was 170 working days from the escalation.
20. This represents a significant delay and falls well outside its own policy timescales. As such, the landlord failed to manage the complaint in accordance with the expected standards, causing further frustration for the resident and undermining confidence in the complaints process. However, the landlord took steps to put things right by offering the resident £240 for the complaint handling failures. This was a reasonable amount of compensation and falls within our remedies guidance’s recommended range of compensation for failings that have had an adverse effect on the resident. We have therefore recommended that the landlord pay the resident the £240 compensation it previously awarded for the complaint handling failures if this has not been paid already.
21. Although the landlord offered a reasonable amount of compensation to put things right, there was no evidence of learning in its complaint responses, as it did not explain the steps that it would take to ensure the same complaint handling failures did not happen again. We have therefore recommended that the landlord reviews its complaint handling in this case, with reference to the findings of our special investigation published in July 2023, which highlighted concerns with its complaint handling. It should confirm its findings and the changes it will be making to make sure that complaints are responded to in line with its policy and the Code.

Determination

22. In accordance with paragraph 52. of the Scheme, there was maladministration by the landlord in its handling of the repairs to the resident’s roof and window.
23. In accordance with paragraph 53.b. of the Scheme, the landlord has offered redress to the resident prior to investigation which, in the Ombudsman’s opinion, resolves the complaint about its handling of the associated complaint satisfactorily.

Orders and recommendations

Orders

24. Within 4 weeks of the date of this determination, the landlord must:
    1. Pay further compensation to the resident of £400 for the handling of the roof and window repairs.
    2. Pay compensation to the resident of £580 previously awarded for the handling of the roof and window repairs if this has not been paid already.
    3. Arrange an inspection of the resident’s property to establish if the roof repairs have been successful and confirm to the resident details of any further works required including timescales.

Recommendations

25. It is recommended that the landlord:
    1. Pay compensation to the resident of £240 previously awarded for the complaint handling failures if this has not been paid already.
    2. Reviews its complaint handling in this case, with reference to the findings of our special investigation published in July 2023. It should confirm its findings and the changes it will be making to make sure that complaints are responded to in line with its policy and the Code.