Platform Housing Group Limited (202405280)

REPORT

COMPLAINT 202405280

Platform Housing Group Limited

9 October 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

The complaint is about the landlord’s handing of the resident’s:
1. Reports of damp and mould.
2. Request for compensation for damage caused to their personal belongings.
This service has also considered the landlord’s complaint handling.

Background

The resident is an assured tenant of the landlord. She is a joint tenant with her partner, and they share the property with their adult daughter. The property is a 2 bedroom bungalow. They have lived there since July 2021. The landlord has a record that both the resident and her daughter have health conditions. The resident has told the landlord that both she and her daughter have asthma.
The resident contacted the landlord on 21 November 2022 to report damp and mould within her home. The landlord’s records show that she contacted it again on 20 January 2023, 23 February 2023 and 22 May 2023. On 1 June 2023 a member of the landlord’s staff completed a “damp reporting form” for the resident. This recorded that the damp was getting worse, with black mould affecting the living room and hallway. The landlord completed a damp and mould inspection of the property on 12 June 2023. It recorded that damp and mould was affecting the living room, hallway, bedroom and bathroom. It set out that the cause of this was the ventilation within the property together with suspected rising damp. It recorded that it should install “data loggers” and recommended an independent survey.
On 20 July 2023 the resident contacted the landlord to raise a formal complaint about the damp and mould in her home. She said that this was an ongoing issue and that despite the landlord’s surveyor’s involvement she “seemed to be getting nowhere”. It had cancelled an appointment to fit an extractor fan due that day as the fan was not in stock. This was the third time it had cancelled an appointment. She said that the damp and mould had affected her daughter’s health. It had damaged her flooring and her daughter’s bed. She wanted the landlord to act to sort out the mould and offer her some financial help to replace her damaged belongings.
On 27 July 2023 the landlord wrote to acknowledge her complaint. It then called her on 4 August 2023 to discuss it further. On 10 August 2023 it contacted her to extend its response target by 10 days. It said that it would respond to her complaint by 24 August 2023.
On 24 August 2023 the landlord provided its stage 1 complaint response. In this it confirmed the date on which it had received her complaint and the dates it had spoken to her about her complaint and the extension to its investigation. It apologised that she had needed to raise a complaint. It did not uphold her complaint. It said that:
1. She had reported her concerns about damp and mould on 20 November 2022. It had completed a “pre inspection” on 23 November 2022. It had assessed that the issue was due to condensation. Its surveyor had provided her with advice during the visit on how to reduce condensation.
2. To help with the condensation, it had raised works orders to top up the loft insulation, fit an “envirovent” fan in the kitchen and a ventilation tile in the roof. It completed these works by 10 February 2023. It had also arranged to install a “flatmaster” ventilation system, carry out plastering work and make good wall tiles. It completed these works by 26 June 2023.
3. In response to contact from the resident on 30 May 2023 its surveyor carried out an inspection. It installed “data loggers” to check for any other reasons for the damp and mould.
4. It found that one of the extractor fans was not working properly. It arranged to replace this. It completed this on 26 July 2023. It apologised that there had been a delay in completing the work due to the extractor fan not being in stock.
5. Its surveyor had confirmed that the “data loggers” had shown relatively high moisture readings. It had found no sign of rising damp or leaks that could be causing this. It had provided advice to the resident about managing condensation through better use of her heating, extractor fans and ventilation.
6. As part of its investigation into her complaint its surveyor had completed a further inspection of the property on 17 August 2023. This concluded that the issue was one of condensation. As an outcome it had raised works orders to treat the mould on both bedroom ceilings and the toilet wall and to install an air vent into the airing cupboard. These would be completed on 24 October and 15 September 2023 respectively. These works were in line with its “DCM policy”.
7. In summary, it had not upheld her complaint as it had been unable to find a service failure. It had responded to the resident’s reports of damp and mould and completed work to “improve the airflow in your home to assist with the diagnosed condensation issue”.
8. As it had not found a service failure it was unable to offer the resident compensation for her furniture.
The resident asked the landlord to escalate her complaint on 1 September 2023. She said that it had not resolved her complaint, and she did not accept that the issue was due to condensation. She said that the installed fans had left the property cold and it had not completed all repairs. She further said that she had contacted her MP. The landlord has provided no evidence of its contact with the resident’s MP about her complaint.
The landlord arranged for an independent survey of the property on 29 September 2023. It provided the landlord with a report on 3 October 2023. This concluded that there was rising damp, penetrating damp and condensation at the property. It made several recommendations for remedial works.
The landlord wrote to the resident on 6 October 2023 to extend its response target for her formal complaint. It said it would respond by 20 October 2023. The resident contacted the landlord on the same day to say she was unhappy with this extension. She said that the inspection had found rising damp in her home and that she had to replace her daughter’s bed due to the mould. She felt that she was “going round in a big circle”.
On 20 October 2023 the landlord spoke with the resident. It noted that she did not want it to close her complaint until it had resolved the problems in her home. It further extended its response target to 15 November 2023. It arranged to take samples from the flooring in the property and said it would follow up with her on 10 November 2023. Its contractor provided a quotation for the necessary works to the property. It gave a provisional start date of 1 February 2024. This was to allow it to move the resident temporarily while it carried out the works.
The landlord provided a stage 2 complaint response on 11 January 2024. In this it set out the timeline of the resident’s complaint. It noted that it had spoken with her on 13 November 2023 and visited her on 24 November 2023. It said that it had last spoken with her on 18 December 2023 when it explained the findings of its investigation. It apologised for the delay in writing to her. It further set out the basis of the complaint and the outcome that she was looking for. It upheld her complaint and apologised that she had to complain. It said that:
1. It had commissioned an independent survey. This had made recommendations for work to the floor and 2 external walls to the living room.
2. It noted that the main cause of the mould was condensation, but the independent report showed some dampness in the living room floor.
3. When it visited the resident, it explained the work it would do and that she would “be decanted”. The work would take 2 weeks to complete. It had agreed a schedule of works to conclude all issues. It would then redecorate and reinstate the laminate flooring. It had agreed to move her out from 22 January 2024. It hoped that the work would give her peace of mind following her return.
4. Her home would still be subject to condensation if moisture levels within the property were not actively managed. “High humidity levels will continue to create a risk of condensation and mould growth on colder surfaces”. Further, when it had visited it noted that she had the windows open. It had been “a damp and drizzly day… this will have added to moisture levels inside the house as it was wet outside. On drier days, doing exactly the same thing will help release moisture…”.
5. The “data loggers” found that the temperature in the property during the day was low and increased in the evening. It explained how this could lead to condensation. It directed the resident to advice on its website on the prevention of condensation.
6. It offered the resident a total of £800 compensation. This it broke down as:
  1. £550 for the inconvenience suffered by the resident “in pursuing a satisfactory resolution and visits to … home to undertake further investigation”. It said that this should also go some way to the cost of cleaning items stained by mould.
  2. £250 in recognition of time taken to complete it final response to her complaint.
7. If she wished to pursue compensation for her damaged belongings, this would need to go through its insurers. It said it had notified its insurers but could not make a claim on her behalf. It told her how she could make a claim and provided the contact details for her to write to. It said that there was no automatic right to compensation and that this would sit with its insurers.

Events after the end of the landlord’s complaints process

On 15 January 2024 the landlord confirmed internally the scope of the works that it would be doing. This included the installation of a liquid damp proof membrane to the living room floor and replastering of the walls. The landlord moved the resident out of the property temporarily on or around 23 February 2024. To allow works to progress the landlord extended the length of the resident’s temporary move more than once. Internal correspondence shows that its contractor completed the work on 19 March 2024. The property required cleaning to remove all builder’s dust before the resident could return home, and it extended the temporary move for a further week. The evidence provided does not confirm the exact dates of the resident’s temporary move. She has said that she was away from her home for a period of 5 weeks. She has further said that it did not complete all the necessary repairs while she was away from her home.
On 23 April 2023, in internal correspondence, the landlord’s surveyor confirmed that the resident had returned home and that it had completed all works. It had scheduled a follow up in a few months to check that everything still okay.
The resident contacted us on 9 May 2024 to ask that we investigate her complaint. She said that despite moving out of her home in March 2024, repairs remained outstanding. She said that she had been home for 6 weeks and there was nothing to put her curtains on and the landlord had not decorated the newly plastered walls. The landlord’s records show that she contacted it on 10 May 2024 to chase repairs and express her dissatisfaction. On 11 July 2024 the resident raised a new complaint with the landlord. It provided its formal response to this at stage 1 of its complaint process on 1 August 2024. It did not uphold the resident’s complaint. It confirmed that it had raised an order to repair a leak to the wet room in the property.
The resident has told us that she is unhappy with the landlord’s handling of repairs to her home and that there is still an issue of damp and mould. This has returned to the same areas. She does not believe that this is due to condensation.

Assessment and findings

Scope of the investigation

The resident has told us that the continued damp and mould within her home has affected both her own health and that of her daughter. We are unable to draw conclusions on the causation of, or liability for, effects on health and wellbeing. Matters of personal injury or damage to health, their investigation and compensation, are not part of the complaints process. These are better addressed by way of the courts or the landlord’s liability insurer as a personal injury claim. We have, however, considered whether the resident was caused distress and inconvenience because of any failings on behalf of the landlord.
The resident has told us that the presence of damp and mould in her home caused damage to her flooring and furniture, including her daughter’s bed. It is not within the Ombudsman’s authority or expertise to decide cause, liability, or negligence for damage to possessions. This is best dealt with through an insurance claim. We will assess whether the landlord has followed proper procedure, good practice, and behaved reasonably, taking account of all the circumstances of the case.

Reports of damp and mould.

The landlord’s damp and condensation mould policy set out its approach to reports of damp and mould within its homes. It says that it will take reasonable steps to remove any cause of damp alongside supporting its residents in managing condensation mould.
The Ombudsman’s spotlight report on damp and mould highlights the need for a prompt response by landlords to reports of damp and mould. The report set out that “landlords should recognise that issues can have an ongoing detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of the resident and should therefore be responded to in a timely manner. Landlords should consider appropriate timescales for their responses to reflect the urgency of the case and set these out clearly to residents so their expectations can be managed.” The report further highlighted the need to keep residents informed. It recommended that landlords should “ensure that it clearly and regularly communicated with its residents regarding actions taken or otherwise to resolve reports of damp and mould”.
The resident first raised the issue of damp and mould on 21 November 2022. The landlord has not provided a copy of its inspection of the property, referred to in its stage 1 complaint response as a pre inspection. Its repair records show that it raised orders to overhaul the ventilation in the loft, together with removing and sealing up a window in the kitchen. In January it raised orders to install an “envirovent” fan in the kitchen and to increase the loft insulation. The landlord’s repair records show these as completed, although it does not record when it did these works. The resident continued to seek updates from the landlord in January, February, May and June. The landlord completed a damp and mould inspection on 12 June 2023. This was 5 months after the resident first raised her concern about the appearance of mould in her home. The landlord could have completed such an inspection when the resident first raised this issue in November 2022. That it did not do so was a failure by the landlord.
The landlord’s inspection recommended an independent specialist survey. Further it notes the cause of damp in the resident’s home could be due to rising damp and a failed damp proof course. Photographic evidence attached to the report show small areas of black mould growth in the property and an area of damaged flooring under the vinyl floor cover by the threshold to the property. The landlord raised repairs to install a draft excluder to the front door and a repair to the rear porch. It also followed up on the installation of extra ventilation to the property. On completion of this inspection in June 2023, the landlord did not follow up the recommendation for an independent specialist survey or act on the possible presence of rising damp. An independent survey was completed in September 2023 in response to the resident’s escalated complaint. This was a failure by the landlord to act promptly on its surveyor’s recommendations.
The resident provided the landlord with a letter from her daughter’s psychiatrist dated 10 July 2023. This explained the complex nature of her daughter’s health, highlighting her vulnerabilities. Further, it said that mould and damp in the property could present a health risk to her. The landlord has provided no evidence that it considered this letter in its managing of the reported issues at the property. The landlord has a responsibility to consider whether damp and mould within its homes amount to a hazard that requires remedying and must act accordingly.
The resident continued to raise her concerns with the landlord, both through its formal complaint procedure and in the completion of a “damp reporting form” on her behalf by a member of the landlord’s staff. She told the landlord as part of its complaint investigation that mould was affecting her daughter’s bed and the flooring in her daughter’s bedroom. Further, she reported mould on the curtains and that the wallpaper was peeling. An inspection by the landlord on 17 August 2023 concluded the problem was condensation, contrary to its findings in June 2023.
It raised work orders to clean mould from the ceilings in both bedrooms, together with other repairs. It recorded that it had provided advice to the resident but that she did not accept that the problem was one of condensation. In its stage 1 complaint response the landlord said that it had found no evidence of rising damp or leaks at the property. This contrasts with its earlier surveyor’s report. There was a failure by the landlord to follow through the findings of its earlier survey. This led to a delay in it undertaking an independent survey of the property, which later found areas of rising damp.
An independent survey carried out on 29 September 2023 found condensation, alongside both rising and penetrating damp. This followed the resident’s escalation of her complaint. It recommended extensive remedial work that needed the resident to temporarily vacate her home. The landlord’s contractor completed the work between February and March 2024. This was 15 months after the resident first raised her concerns about damp and mould in her home. We note that some aspects of the work remained outstanding, including the redecoration promised by the landlord as an outcome to its stage 2 complaint. This was a failure by the landlord to meet its commitment to the resident.
There was maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould in her home.
1. It did not complete a damp and mould survey of the property until June 2023, 7 months after the resident first reported the issue to the landlord.
2. It delayed in following the recommendation to carry out an independent survey. This it completed 3 months later in September 2023.
3. The resident needed to pursue the landlord through several contacts and a formal complaint for it to act.
4. The independent survey found rising damp at the end of September 2023. The landlord than carried out remedial works to the resident’s home in March 2024. This was a total of 16 months after the resident’s first report of damp and mould.
5. The resident’s frustration at these delays is understandable. The landlord focused on the presence of condensation in her home and did not consider that there were other contributory factors in raising the moisture levels within her home.
Through its complaint response the landlord offered the resident £550 compensation for the inconvenience to the resident of having to pursue her complaint. We consider that this is insufficient given the significant delays in the landlord’s response to her reports. We have made an order for an added award of compensation in line with our guidance on remedies.

Request for compensation for damage caused to their personal belongings

The resident requested compensation from the landlord to cover the loss of personal items, including her daughter’s bed, her sofa and floor coverings. The landlord acknowledged her request for compensation and directed her to make a claim against its insurance. It set out detail of how she may do this within its stage 2 complaint response.
The landlord’s compensation policy sets out that it will aim to put things right where it is at fault. It says that this could include replacing damaged belongings or referring the issue to its insurer. We are aware that through the works the landlord completed in March 2024 it replaced the laminate flooring in the lounge. It is unclear from the evidence provided if it did this to other affected areas. It also appropriately told the resident that she could make a claim through its insurer for the damage to her furniture.
There is no evidence that the resident has raised a claim against the landlord’s insurers. It would have been reasonable for the landlord to help the resident to make a claim. It did however direct her appropriately through its stage 2 complaint response. There was no failure by the landlord as it acted in line with its own policies. We have made a finding of no maladministration.

Complaint handling

The landlord has a 2 stage complaint’s procedure that is inline with our Complaint Handling Code (the Code).
The landlord completed its response to the resident’s complaint at stage 1 within its published timescales. It received her request to escalate her complaint on 1 September 2023. There were delays in its response at stage 2 of its procedure. The landlord wrote to the resident on 6 October 2025, to extend its response target. This was 25 working days after she had asked it to escalate her complaint. It told her that that it would respond by 20 October 2023. It then contacted the resident on 20 October 2023 to further extend its response to 15 November 2023. Having visited the resident on 24 November 2023 the landlord provided its final stage 2 complaint response on 11 January 2024. This was 94 working days after the resident asked it to escalate her complaint.
There was a significant delay in the landlord’s response to the resident’s complaint. This was outside the scope of its own policy and the Code. This amounted to maladministration by the landlord in its complaint handling. Further the landlord has used technical terms and abbreviations within its correspondence. The Code sets out that landlords should write to resident’s using clear language free from technical jargon.
The landlord offered the resident compensation of £250 for the delays in its complaint handling.
The Ombudsman has considered the landlord’s offer, made in its stage 2 response of £250 compensation in recognition of the time taken to complete its final response. The landlord took 4 months to provide the resident a written response at stage 2 of its complaint’s process. Given the significant delay in the landlord’s response at stage 2 of its complaints process, this offer was not proportionate. We have made an order, in line with the Services guidance on remedies for an added amount of compensation in recognition of the distress and inconvenience caused to the resident.

Determination

In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould.
In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was no maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s request for compensation for damage to her personal belongings.
In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s complaint.

Orders

Within 4 weeks of the date of this report the landlord must:
1. Apologise to the resident for the identified failings. This should be in line with the Service’s guidance on remedies.
2. Pay the resident a total of £800 compensation. This is broken down as:
  1. £450 for the significant delay in identifying and undertaking works to address the issue of rising damp within the resident’s home.
  2. £250 for the distress and inconvenience caused to the resident in having to pursue her complaint with the landlord.
  3. £100 for the identified failures in the landlord’s complaint handling.
3. This is in addition to the £800 offered by the landlord as an outcome to its stage 2 complaint.
4. The landlord should provide evidence to this service that it has paid both amounts direct to the resident, which is a total of £1600.
Within 6 weeks of the date of this report
1. The landlord should arrange an inspection of the resident’s home by a suitably qualified person. This should focus on identifying areas of damp and mould, outstanding repairs and to confirm that the works completed in March 2023 have been effective in preventing further rising damp. This should include ensuring that it has completed all necessary repairs to the wet room and any other identified internal leaks. It should provide both this service and the resident with details of the outcome of this inspection including a time specific action plan for addressing all identified repairs.

Recommendations

The landlord should consider what added support it may provide to the resident and look at how it may rebuild its relationship of trust with the resident.