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Sanctuary Housing Association (202502044)

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REPORT

COMPLAINT 202502044

Sanctuary Housing Association

23 September 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 bathroom repairs.

Background

  1. The resident has been an assured tenant of a 3-bedroom house since 13 November 2023.
  2. On 6 April and 27 July 2024, the resident reported to the landlord there were repair issues with the property’s bathroom.
  3. The resident complained to the landlord on 27 January 2025. She said she reported outstanding repairs, but no action was taken.
  4. The landlord sent its stage 1 complaint response to the resident on 12 February 2025. The landlord apologised and offered £75 compensation to the resident for not responding to her reports of issues with the bathroom. The landlord carried out some repairs to the bathroom during February 2025.
  5. The resident escalated her complaint with the landlord on 12 February 2025. The £75 compensation offered by the landlord was not paid to the resident.
  6. On 21 March 2025 the landlord sent its stage 2 complaint response to the resident. The landlord made a further apology and offered £450 additional compensation for not carrying out repairs when they were reported. It said the bathroom repairs would be completed by 30 June 2025. The compensation was paid to the resident on 28 April 2025.
  7. The resident contacted us on 15 April 2025 as she remained dissatisfied with the landlord’s handling of her complaint.
  8. A new bathroom floor was fitted in August 2025, but the landlord has yet to complete the remaining bathroom repairs. The landlord has told us the repairs will be completed by the end of October 2025.

Assessment and findings

  1. Paragraph 53.c. of the Scheme states that:
  2. “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.”

The Ombudsman’s intervention

  1. We contacted the landlord on 16 September 2025 and provided it with a summary of our understanding of the events. This included some comments on areas that could have been handled better and what the landlord could do to resolve the resident’s complaint.
  2. The landlord offered to make an additional £300 compensation payment to the resident for the delays in carrying out bathroom repairs, as well as pay the £75 compensation offered on 12 February 2025. The landlord agreed to apologise for the delays and confirm to the resident the bathroom works would be completed by the end of October 2025.
  3. We are therefore satisfied that, following our intervention, that the landlord has agreed to take actions to remedy the matters raised which resolve the complaint satisfactorily.

Determination

  1. In accordance with paragraph 53.c of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, the complaint was resolved with intervention.

Recommendations

  1. The landlord should now make the £375 compensation payment to the resident. It should also write to her apologising for the further delays and confirm when the outstanding works will be completed. The complaint has been resolved with intervention on this basis.