Onward Homes Limited (202500181)

Decision
Case ID	202500181
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	Onward Homes Limited
Landlord type	Housing Association
Occupancy	Assured Tenancy
Date	15 October 2025

Background

1. The resident holds an assured tenancy with the landlord, which began in August 2020. He lives in a 2-bedroom bungalow with his mum and has asthma. From around June 2022, he reported recurring water entering his bedroom, which caused damp and mould and damaged his belongings. He said the landlord had taken little action to resolve the issue, which remains ongoing.

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about:
   1. The landlord’s handling of a leak, damp, and mould in the bedroom.
   2. The landlord’s handling of the complaint.

Our decision (determination)

3. We have found that:
   1. There was maladministration in the landlord’s handling of a leak, damp, and mould in the bedroom.
   2. There was no maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the complaint.

We have made orders for the landlord to put things right.

Summary of reasons

The handling of the leak, damp, and mould in the bedroom

4. The landlord did not act in line with the tenancy agreement or its damp and mould policy. It failed to resolve the reported issues promptly, relied on the resident to chase progress, and did not monitor whether repairs were effective. It also failed to consider the resident’s health needs or fairly reflect the ongoing disruption and costs in its compensation.

The handling of the complaint

5. The landlord responded to the complaint in line with Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.

Putting things right

Where we find service failure, maladministration or severe maladministration we can make orders for the landlord to put things right. We have the discretion to make recommendations in all other cases within our jurisdiction.

Orders

Landlords must comply with our orders in the manner and timescales we specify. The landlord must provide documentary evidence of compliance with our orders by the due date set.

Order	What the landlord must do	Due date
1	Apology order   The landlord must apologise in writing to the resident for the failures identified in this report. The landlord must ensure: The apology is provided by senior staff member, such as a head of service or director. The apology is specific to the failures identified in this decision, meaningful and empathetic. It has due regard to our apologies guidance.	No later than   20 November 2025
2	Compensation order The landlord must pay the resident £1,659.27 made up as follows: £800 to recognise the distress and inconvenience caused by its delays to complete repairs and keep the resident informed. £859.27 to reflect his loss of full enjoyment of his bedroom.   This must be paid directly to the resident by the due date. The landlord must provide documentary evidence of payment by the due date. The landlord may deduct from the total figure any payments it has already paid.	No later than   20 November 2025
3	Additional costs The landlord must write to the resident: Giving him 2 weeks to provide evidence of any increased electricity costs from running the dehumidifier. If the resident provides suitable evidence, such as energy bills showing a rise in usage, the landlord must reimburse him by the due date. If no evidence is provided, the landlord must write to the resident to confirm that this matter is closed. Confirming whether it will refer his claim for damage to belongings to its insurer or whether it will handle it directly. If it refers the claim to its insurer, it must give the resident clear instructions on how to pursue it. If it will handle the claim itself, the landlord must make a settlement offer by the due date.	No later than   20 November 2025
4	Completing the works The landlord must take all steps to ensure installation of the high-level air brick and ventilation unit is completed promptly and in any event by the due date. If the landlord cannot complete the works in this time, it must explain to us, by the due date: Why it cannot complete the works by the due date and provide evidence to support its reasons. It must provide a revised timescale of when it will finish the works; or Explain the steps it has taken to ensure the works were completed and provide supporting evidence. It must provide a revised timescale if it is able to or explain why it cannot. Whether suitable alternative accommodation is necessary and will be made available to the resident until the work is completed.	No later than   20 November 2025

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
11 June 2024	The resident raised a complaint about ongoing water coming through his bedroom floor. He said repair jobs were repeatedly raised but often cancelled or missed. Despite works in 2023, the issue persisted, and the walls, flooring and his wardrobes remained damp and damaged. He said he used a dehumidifier constantly, but this did not resolve the issue.
24 June 2024	The landlord issued its stage 1 complaint response. It summarised repairs completed between January and June 2024, including a damp inspection, mould wash, and installation of a new drain. It said it would raise works to block an air brick, which was letting cold air in and causing condensation to pool on the floor. It apologised for delays and missed appointments and said a final inspection would follow once the air brick works were complete.   The landlord upheld the complaint due to the time taken to address the issue and offered £686.27 compensation for inconvenience, missed appointments and loss of room use. It said that in future it would begin with a property inspection before multiple repairs were raised to address an issue.
Between January and March 2025	The resident reported more instances of water entering his bedroom and damp and mould. He also raised another complaint, stating that the issue had been ongoing since he moved in and that the landlord was not taking his concerns seriously. He explained that the damp and mould were affecting his asthma and that he was unable to use his bedroom, so had been sleeping on the living room floor.
28 March 2025	The landlord issued its stage 2 complaint response. It said it had inspected the property that month and found no defects externally or internally, and no water, damp, or mould present. It said it would raise a job to install an air brick higher up on the bedroom wall and for the roof to be inspected. It increased the overall compensation to £736.27.
Referral to the Ombudsman	The resident asked us to investigate because the landlord had not resolved the issues raised in his complaint. He said it failed to consider the impact of the situation on his health and had not offered adequate compensation for the damage to his belongings.   Since accepting the complaint for investigation, the resident has said the situation has worsened and the landlord has not completed the repairs it committed to in its stage 2 complaint response.

What we found and why

The circumstances of this complaint are well known by the parties involved, so it is not necessary to detail everything that’s happened or comment on all the information we’ve reviewed. We’ve only included the key information that forms the basis of our decision of whether the landlord is responsible for maladministration.

Complaint	The landlord’s handling of a leak, damp, and mould in the bedroom.
Finding	Maladministration

What we did not consider

6. The resident told us that this situation has significantly affected his health. It would be fairer and more effective for him to make a personal injury claim through the courts for any injury caused. The courts are best placed to deal with this type of dispute as they will have the benefit of independent medical evidence to decide on the cause and extent of any injury. We have not investigated this further under any of the complaint grounds, and therefore, the resident may want to get independent legal advice about making a personal injury claim.

What we did consider

7. The evidence shows the resident’s reports of a leak causing damp and mould became persistent from June 2022. From then, the landlord failed to take proactive ownership of the problem or resolve the issue promptly. Even after acknowledging delays and awarding compensation in its stage 1 complaint response, it took another 5 months to fully block the air brick, which had been identified as a cause of the problem. Repairs promised in the stage 2 complaint response were also not completed. These delays show the landlord did not act with urgency to meet its tenancy duty, which requires it to keep the floors and walls in good repair. It also did not act in line with its damp and mould policy, requiring it to start repairs within 12 weeks of a diagnosis.
8. The landlord told us the delay in blocking the air brick was because its contractor reported the resident had been aggressive during a visit in July 2024. However, there is no evidence the landlord put these allegations to the resident at the time so the issue could be resolved. It also told us the works promised in the stage 2 response were outstanding because the resident refused access. But records show that when an operative attended in June 2025, they were unclear where to install the air brick as there were no job notes. This shows weak record keeping and communication. A further inspection a month later reaffirmed the need for a higher-level air brick and a ventilation unit. We have therefore made an order for the landlord to complete these repairs.
9. The resident also had to chase the landlord repeatedly for updates and progress. Between June and November 2022, he contacted it monthly and continued doing so throughout 2023, eventually seeking help from his local Member of Parliament due to inaction. The landlord remained reactive in 2024, relying on the resident to follow up on missed appointments and prompt repairs. Had he not followed up on the work to block the air brick, it is likely this would not have been completed at all. This lack of engagement placed an unreasonable burden on the resident and caused avoidable time and trouble. The landlord’s approach did not meet its damp and mould policy commitment to keep customers informed and communicate clearly and regularly about actions and timescales.
10. The landlord carried out several repairs aimed at addressing the source of the leak, damp, and mould, which included gutter works and a new soak away in November 2022, drain repairs in February 2024, and later blocking the air brick. While these actions showed an effort to tackle the problem, the landlord did not monitor whether they were effective. Without follow-up or checks to confirm the repairs had worked, the problem persisted. Under its damp and mould policy, the landlord should have developed an action plan with the resident, tracked the case through to completion, and referred it for further support if the problem continued. Its failure to do so meant it did not meet its policy duties to monitor repairs, maintain accurate records, or ensure customer satisfaction before closing the case.
11. The landlord knew the resident had asthma and he told it the damp and mould were aggravating his condition. He also said he was sleeping on the living room floor, which was affecting his recovery from back surgery. Despite this, there is no evidence the landlord assessed how the conditions were affecting his health or discussed any steps to reduce the impact. This was not in line with its damp and mould policy, which says it will consider health and household circumstances and may arrange temporary moves where there is a health risk. Its failure to act on this information left the resident living in unsuitable conditions and showed a lack of awareness of his vulnerability.
12. The landlord’s compensation did not go far enough to put things right. The evidence shows it gave the resident a dehumidifier in March 2024, which he used until June 2025, but it did not reimburse the running costs. The resident also reported damage to his belongings, but the landlord did not address or assess this. Its compensation policy allows reimbursement for quantifiable losses, such as damage to belongings and increased heating costs, where service failings have occurred. By not considering these additional costs, the landlord did not apply its policy fairly or provide proportionate redress for the time, cost and distress caused.
13. Additionally, the landlord’s £686.27 compensation at stage 1 included a £486.27 amenity loss payment for not being able to use his bedroom between January and June 2024. This was in line with the landlord’s compensation policy allowing payments where residents’ enjoyment of their home is unreasonably affected. It also awarded £100 for inconvenience and £100 for missed appointments, consistent with its discretionary compensation policy. However, its stage 2 complaint response only added £50 for further inconvenience. Given the 5-month delay after stage 1 to block the air brick, and the ongoing need for the resident to chase progress, this was not a reasonable reflection of the distress and inconvenience caused by the landlord’s continued failings.
14. In our view, an additional £550 compensation is more appropriate to reflect the distress and inconvenience caused by the failings identified in this assessment. This aligns with the Housing Ombudsman’s Remedies Guidance, which gives example ranges for compensation where a landlord’s failings have significantly impacted a resident. In such cases, payments between £600 to £1000 are usually suitable. The landlord must therefore pay the resident an additional £550, bringing the total compensation for distress and inconvenience to £800.
15. A further payment for loss of amenity should also be made for the 5-month period after the stage 1 response, up to November 2024 when the air brick was fully blocked up and the landlord’s inspection confirmed the bedroom was dry. During this time, the resident continued to be unable to use his bedroom, so his enjoyment of his home remained unreasonably affected. We have calculated this using the resident’s rent of £96.87 per week (£13.81 per day) for 135 days at 20% of the rent value, giving a total of £373. This brings the total compensation for loss of amenity to £859.27.
16. In light of the observations above, we have found maladministration in the landlord’s handling of a leak, damp, and mould in the bedroom.

Complaint	The landlord’s handling of the complaint.
Finding	No maladministration

17. The Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code (‘the Code’) sets out when and how a landlord should respond to complaints. Our findings are:
    1. The landlord has a published complaints policy which complies with the Code’s timescales.
    2. The landlord acknowledged the stage 1 complaint on the same day and issued its stage 1 response 10 working days later. This met the Code’s requirement to acknowledge within 5 working days and issue a full response within 10 working days of the acknowledgement.
    3. The landlord acknowledged the stage 2 complaint on the same day and issued its stage 2 complaint response 20 working days later. This met the Code’s requirement to acknowledge within 5 working days and issue a full response within 20 working days of the acknowledgement.
18. The landlord followed the Code in how it handled the complaint. We therefore found no maladministration.

Learning

Record keeping

19. The landlord’s records were detailed and showed good practice. They captured the full repair journey, including notes explaining why works were cancelled or delayed. This level of detail supports transparency. However, the landlord now needs to use its repair records more proactively to track progress and help complete the repair journey more quickly.

Communication

20. There were several missed appointments and conflicting updates between the landlord, its contractor, and the resident. When the contractor reported that an action had been completed but the resident disagreed, the landlord did not step in to clarify the situation or confirm the facts. This left issues unresolved and led to repeated cycles of the resident chasing for progress. The landlord needs to strengthen its communication and monitoring arrangements with contractors to ensure that reports are verified and cases move forward promptly.