One Housing Group Limited (202326006)

Decision
Case ID	202326006
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	One Housing Group Limited
Landlord type	Housing Association
Occupancy	Assured Shorthold Tenancy
Date	11 November 2025

Background

1. The resident lives in a flat with two other joint tenants. The resident reported issues about a faulty boiler due to the low level of hot water in the property. She continued to raise concerns as there was still a lack of hot water after completion of the repairs. 

What the complaint is about

2. The landlord’s response to reports of issues with the boiler.
3. We have also investigated the landlord’s complaint handling.

Our decision (determination)

4. We have found there was:

1. Maladministration in the landlord’s response to reports of issues with the boiler.
2. Service failure in the landlord’s handling of the associated complaint.

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

Summary of reasons

Handling of the repairs to the boiler

5. We saw no evidence that the landlord updated the resident following the boiler inspection in January 2023. Nor that follow-on works were arranged until the resident chased months later. At stage 1, the landlord offered appropriate compensation and arranged the works quickly.
6. When the hot water cylinder was replaced, the engineer did not explain how to use the boiler properly. This caused further issues, which were eventually resolved at the end of October 2023. At stage 2, the landlord apologised that no instructions to use the boiler had been given. But it did not provide further redress for the further detriment to the resident. However, this was eventually put right in January 2024 when the landlord increased the compensation to reflect the full impact of the prolonged issue.         

Complaint handling

7. The landlord responded to the stage 1 complaint within the timescales set out in its policy. However, despite the resident clearly stating that she remained dissatisfied, there were unreasonable delays in progressing the complaint to stage 2. There was also a delay in reviewing the compensation, which the resident had to chase.

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 a manager. 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 09 December 2025
2	Compensation order   The landlord must pay the resident £100 for the failures identified in the landlord’s complaint handling. This must be paid directly to the resident by the due date. The landlord must provide documentary evidence of payment by the due date.	No later than 09 December 2025

 

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
5 July 2023	The resident complained about the ongoing issues with the boiler and the lack of hot water which she said had been reported and inspected in January 2023.
11 – 19 July 2023	The landlord acknowledged the complaint which related to: Hot water had not been fixed since January 2023. Lack of response or action taken to resolve the issue. The landlord contacted the resident the following week and agreed to extend the complaint response deadline by 3 August 2023.
3 August 2023	The stage 1 response found: Consistent failures by landlord staff and contractors to act. Lack of communication from the landlord to the resident and to the contractors to resolve the issue. Delays in resolving the issue. As redress for the above failures, the landlord offered the following to put things right: Compensation: £450 for 150 days for lack of hot water (£3/day). £300 discretionary payment for distress and inconvenience. Total: £750. Completion of works arranged for 7 August 2023. Internal review to understand why the failure occurred and to prevent recurrence.
10 August – 31 October 2023	The resident rejected the compensation offered in the stage 1 response and repeatedly expressed that she remained dissatisfied. She raised concerns that the boiler issues were unresolved following the completed works. She also reported higher energy bills due to relying on the booster for hot water. The landlord progressed the complaint to stage 2 on 31 October 2023.
Referral to the Ombudsman	In the meantime, the resident had brought her complaint to us on 30 October 2023, though we were unable to start any investigation until she had received the stage 2 response.
28 November 2023	The landlord’s stage 2 response identified that: The issue with the boiler was due to incorrect use. The operative had since explained to the resident how to use the system correctly to ensure hot water availability and how to use the boost function effectively and economically. Poor communication from contractors failing to return calls. The complaint was not upheld because the boiler was working properly. The landlord said therefore, there had been no extra costs when having to use the booster to heat the water in the evening. To put things right, the landlord apologised for the poor communication and for the lack of instruction at the point of installation. It said it would provide this feedback for future staff training.
5 December 2024 to 15 January 2024	On 5 December 2023, the resident asked the landlord to reconsider the amount of compensation. The landlord did not respond, so the resident chased a month later. The landlord reconsidered the level of compensation and paid an increased amount of £1,220. Made up of: £720 for 240 days with a lack of hot water (£3/day). £500 for distress and inconvenience.

 

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 response to reports of issues with the boiler
Finding	Maladministration

8. The resident reported the issue with the boiler in January 2023, stating there was no hot water unless using the booster. It was positive that the landlord arranged inspection the same day, within its policy for emergency repairs. A further inspection at the beginning of February 2023 found follow on works were required and a replacement cylinder was recommended. However, the resident was not told about any planned follow-on works. This points to poor communication. This was clearly a very inconvenient time for the resident. She reported that using the booster did not provide enough hot water for all three household members to shower. Additionally, hot water was not consistently available throughout the day or in the evenings. 
9. There was an unreasonable delay in planning follow-on works. No action was recorded between the boiler inspections and the resident chasing from May 2023 onwards. Then she formally complained in July 2023. The landlord’s stage 1 response was positive. It acknowledged the service failures, arranged the necessary works, and offered an appropriate level of compensation totalling £750. Its policy uses £3 per day as a guideline for loss of essential services like hot water, which is considered a fair and proportionate remedy for loss of amenity. This was paid alongside compensation for distress and inconvenience of the delayed repair. 
10. It was positive that the works went ahead as planned. Though it was poor that the engineer did not explain how to use the boiler properly, which caused further problems for the resident. She had to raise issues again, saying the water had gone colder and she was having to use the booster too often which increased her energy bills. Further callouts found other faults, including a blown fuse and low immersion settings. There was an unreasonable delay until 31 October 2023, when the resident was finally shown how to use the boiler correctly.
11. The resident clearly experienced inconvenience due to delays in completing the boiler repairs and having to chase the landlord multiple times. Follow-on works should have been scheduled promptly, and the resident kept informed. We recognise that going without consistent hot water for an extended period was particularly frustrating. The lack of guidance on how to use the boiler at installation caused avoidable further disruption and distress.
12. The landlord does not dispute that there were failings in its handling of the resident’s reports of repairs to the boiler. Where the landlord admits failings, our role is to consider whether it resolved the resident’s complaint satisfactorily in the circumstances and offered appropriate redress.
13. The resident was right to point out that the £750 compensation wrongly assumed the issue was resolved by August 2023, when problems continued until late October 2023. It was positive that, after completing its complaint process, the landlord listened to the resident’s further concerns. She gave evidence of financial impact and explained how the long-running issue and poor communication affected her mental health and wellbeing. She requested £1,020 compensation. However, the landlord paid an increased amount of £1,220. This was made up of £720 (£3/day) for 240 days without hot water, and £500 for distress and inconvenience.
14. The landlord is expected to resolve issues during its internal complaints process, but this did not happen in this case. It only took appropriate action after our involvement and following the resident’s reports that she remained dissatisfied. We have therefore found maladministration as the landlord has not demonstrated that it fully resolved the case through the complaints process under investigation. However, we acknowledge that the further compensation offer was fair and proportionate, so we have not ordered any additional redress.

Complaint	The handling of the complaint
Finding	Service failure

15. The Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code (‘the Code’) sets out when and how a landlord should respond to complaints. The relevant Code in this case is the 2024 edition (April 2024).
16. The landlord has a published complaints policy which complies with the terms of the Code in respect of the timescales.
17. It was positive that the landlord kept the resident informed when extending the stage 1 response deadline and then replied on time. However, it missed several chances to progress the stage 2 escalation between 10 August and 31 October 2023. This caused considerable delays in the complaint handling which could have been avoided. This was a detriment to the resident as she was inconvenienced and clearly frustrated by having to repeatedly chase to get heard. Though, it was positive that once accepted, the stage 2 response was issued on time.
18. Following the stage 2 response, although the resident contacted the landlord on 5 December 2023, there is no evidence it responded. This meant she had to resend the detailed information on 2 January 2024 and the landlord eventually reconsidered the compensation on 12 January 2024. This delay and lack of response was poor customer service. Combined with earlier avoidable delays in complaint handling, this amounts to a service failure. The previous compensation payment was made to cover the loss of hot water, and the distress and inconvenience caused by the delay in repairing the boiler and the ongoing issues. It did not cover the failings in complaint handling. We have therefore ordered the landlord to pay £100 compensation.

 

Learning

19. It was commendable that the landlord took steps to improve future service by giving contractors feedback for future boiler installations. This shows a willingness to learn from the complaint and prevent similar issues.

Complaint handling and customer service

20. Staff should be reminded of the Code’s requirements. Including the need to progress to stage 2 of the landlord’s procedure if all or part of the complaint is not resolved to the resident’s satisfaction. Also, to respond to resident’s communications in a timely manner.

Communication

21. The landlord’s poor communication with both its contractors and the resident delayed follow-on repairs. It also left the resident unsure how to use her new boiler. The landlord should review its communication processes to ensure it is effectively tracking outstanding repairs and following up after works are completed to check the resident’s satisfaction.