Paradigm Housing Group Limited (202327452)

REPORT

COMPLAINT 202327452

Paradigm Housing Group Limited

18 June 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 response to the resident concerning:
1. His reports about communal issues including doors, an electricity bill and lighting.
2. His reports about property repairs.
3. His request for a managed move.

Background

The resident was a tenant of the landlord in the complaint timeframe. The landlord recorded that the resident has mental health vulnerabilities. The resident is understood to have moved from the property he lived in during the complaint timeframe, which was a flat in a block. The block had some services, such as communal light maintenance, provided by a managing agent.
The evidence shows that from April 2023, the resident made reports about various communal and property repairs, and a management move application that was declined in July 2023. The reports included reports that the communal doors were insecure and led to antisocial and criminal behaviour, that some communal lights did not work, that windows had gaps, and that letters threatened to disconnect the communal electricity supply due to unpaid bills.
The resident subsequently raised dissatisfaction about the handling of the communal and property issues and his management move, which the landlord discussed with him on 17 and 27 October 2023.
The landlord responded at stage 1 on 8 November 2023.
1. It detailed works it had done for issues such as the communal doors, a kitchen plug socket and smoke vents.
2. It said an operative would attend on 15 November 2023 for recent reports about a windowsill crack and the resident’s front door not closing properly.
3. It said the managing agent had raised repairs for the communal lighting.
4. It assured the resident that it was resolving the communal electricity bill issue with the utility company, and apologised for the stress and inconvenience this had caused.
5. It noted the resident’s management move request was declined in July as the property was considered medically suitable, and advised him how to progress an appeal.
6. It concluded that it had acted on repairs it had been made aware of within timescales, but it offered £50 in recognition of inconvenience and stress caused to the resident.
The resident was unhappy with the response and raised further repairs issues, which the landlord sought to inspect and do repairs for where relevant.
The landlord provided its final response on 11 December 2023.
1. It detailed works it had completed for issues such as the communal doors, a kitchen switch raised in November 2023, and an external waste pipe raised in November 2023. It noted that a 20 November 2023 visit for the communal doors found no issues with the front door but the rear door was adjusted.
2. It noted that senior repairs staff had inspected on 28 November 2023 for various issues and detailed outcomes from this:
  1. It said a repair was raised to fill holes behind radiators to prevent any draughts, which had a target of 60 working days but would be done sooner if possible.
  2. It said a small crack going to the windowsill was nothing serious, and normally customer responsibility, but would be filled with the other holes.
  3. It said gaps under kitchen units were fine but it would fill these, as the resident was concerned these could provide pest entry, and he would be contacted about an appointment.
  4. It said no windows issues were identified apart from a kitchen window requiring trim. It noted the resident said his heating expenditure showed how draughty it was, but it said this was difficult to assess without comparable costs, and was below what it would expect.
  5. It said the resident’s front door was in working order, but noted it had made a discretionary decision to replace the door, which was done on 4 December 2023.
3. It noted the resident recently reported that redundant pipework had been left after heating works several years before. It said it had scheduled for a supervisor to inspect this on 13 December 2023.
4. It said that once the resident obtained new supporting evidence, a management move appeal could be submitted.
5. It reassured the resident that the communal electricity bill issue had been rectified.
6. It concluded that it could not identify service failings for many issues, but it offered £125 compensation. This comprised £25 for a missed appointment, £25 for sending an email intended for the resident to the wrong address, £50 for inconvenience in respect to the holes and draughts behind radiators, and £25 for the resident’s time and trouble in bringing the electricity bill issue to its attention.
The same month, the resident raised dissatisfaction that the 13 December 2023 visit was cancelled without telling him. The landlord also attended and refitted hinges on windows, which is understood to have improved draught issues.
In January 2024, the landlord increased its compensation offer by £50 to £175, to recognise it had not identified issues with window hinges before. It also sought to attend to fill in the various holes, gaps and cracks in late January and early February 2024.
The resident later reported further issues with the communal doors and lights from February 2024, which the landlord followed up and visited him about.

Assessment and findings

Scope of the investigation

The Ombudsman has previously told the resident that it was unlikely we would investigate events back to 2019, or more recent events. The investigation mainly focuses on events from around April 2023, 6 months before he made the complaint in October 2023, to around December 2023, when the landlord provided its final complaint response. We do not consider later events such as an incident in March 2024. This is in line with our Scheme.
The resident has the option to ask the landlord to raise a formal complaint about its handling of more recent events, if he is unhappy with this.

The landlord’s response to the resident concerning his reports about communal issues including doors, an electricity bill and lighting

The resident made reports from June 2023 about ongoing issues with the security of communal doors, which the Ombudsman understands caused him significant safety concerns and about having his children to stay. His main complaint appears to have been the repeat nature of the issue and the lack of a long lasting and effective resolution to the issue.
The Ombudsman understands the resident’s concerns, however our main focus is whether the landlord met its responsive repairs obligations for the doors. The evidence shows the landlord did this by attending about the communal doors on multiple occasions in a reasonably timely way, which the resident does not seem to dispute.
The repeat nature of the issue will have been frustrating and concerning, but the landlord reasonably shows that it attended and completed works it identified when issues were reported. The evidence does not show that further action such as replacement of the doors was identified, and on some occasions their disrepair was linked to vandalism. It is therefore not clearly evident that the landlord could have done more to avoid issues reoccurring. While this is the case, the Ombudsman does recommend the landlord to consider the current frequency of reports about the communal doors, and review if it is satisfied that they require no further action such as replacement.
The resident made reports in June 2023 and October 2023 about letters that threatened to disconnect the communal electricity supply due to unpaid bills. He has also supplied a similar December 2022 letter which it is unclear was referred to the landlord at the time. The landlord confirmed that it had resolved the issue after the October 2023 letter. It is noted that the local authority raised concerns to the landlord that this situation was allowed to happen, and the Ombudsman shares this concern.
The December 2022 letter indicates the issue was ongoing for 10 months before it was resolved. It is not evident the landlord took action after the June 2023 letter and it only seemed to act after the October 2023 letter, 4 months later. This delay will have caused some frustration and worry to the resident so the landlord was right to offer some compensation to him. This reasonably remedied the complaint given the evidenced impact. However, the landlord is recommended to review its handling to ensure it resolves similar issues in a timelier way.
The resident made reports from October 2023 about issues with communal lights, which the landlord inspected with him and discussed with the managing agent the same month. The managing agent’s contractors then visited and raised repairs in November 2023 which they completed by February 2024. The resident raised concerns that there were still issues with communal lights after the complaint timeframe, which the landlord followed up. The landlord could potentially have ensured there was clearer confirmation about the responsibilities for lights in the area and whether the managing agent’s actions would address all the lights the resident reported, but overall it shows it took reasonable and timely action about the communal light reports in the complaint timeframe.
Overall, while some issues with the landlord’s handling are noted, it shows that it was generally responsive to reports about communal issues and offered a proportionate remedy given the evidenced issues, their impact and our remedies guidance. This leads the Ombudsman to find reasonable redress in the landlord’s response about communal issues.

The landlord’s response to the resident concerning his reports about property repairs

The resident complained that there were various issues outstanding from 2019, but as stated at paragraph 11, the Ombudsman’s main focus is on events between April and December 2023. This is in line with our then Scheme which expected complaints to be about issues in the past 6 months.
The resident made reports from April 2023 about draughty new windows, a socket, cracks, holes, gaps, a smoke vent, his front door, redundant pipework and an external waste pipe. The evidence shows that the landlord responded, inspected and did works for these issues, or tried to, in line with its stated policy timeframes and in a reasonably timely manner. It shows it sought to review its service for repairs in its complaint responses, and it considered and addressed issues such as heating costs in a reasonable way.
The resident said that the property was in disrepair and uninhabitable, but the Ombudsman sees no clear evidence for this. Where a property is uninhabitable, we expect to see evidence that this opinion is supported by relevant professionals, such as a surveyor or a local authority. The local authority raised concerns about communal issues, but it is not evident that they, or another suitably qualified professional, considered the property to be uninhabitable for any issues.
The landlord acknowledged there were some service issues such as a missed appointment and an email the resident did not receive. It also acknowledged the resident may have been caused distress and inconvenience due to its handling of some issues. It was therefore positive, for repairs issues, to offer £50 at stage 1, a further £100 at stage 2, and then a further £50 to recognise that it had not identified works to window hinges earlier. This was £225 in total including issues which did not relate to property repairs.
However, the landlord committed in its stage 2 response to an inspection on 13 December 2023, which the resident then reported was cancelled without him being told. While the landlord was positive to later offer additional compensation for the window hinges, it does not show it handled this particular missed appointment in line with its policy, which says it will pay £25 compensation for missed appointments. This leads the Ombudsman to find a service failure in the landlord’s response about property repairs.

The landlord’s response to the resident concerning his request for a managed move

The resident made a management move application in May 2023, which the landlord progressed in June 2023 and its panel declined in July 2023. The resident said he wanted to appeal the decision. He said this was on the same grounds as his original application and on the basis that the property was not doing his mental health any good. The landlord said the resident could appeal the decision if he returned a form with his reasons and further supporting evidence from a professional third party.
The landlord was not entirely unreasonable to have encouraged the resident to provide further supporting evidence, as the management move was declined on the basis of the original reasons and evidence he provided. But under the landlord’s policy, it is not clear that completion of the application and further third party supporting evidence was necessary to progress his appeal.
The landlord’s policy says an applicant can appeal by stating their reasons in writing within 10 working days. The appeal will then be heard by staff who were not on the original panel. They will consider if all the information provided was considered and if the application met the criteria for a management move.
This indicates that the aim of the appeals panel is to review the original decision and whether the original information provided was properly considered. It is not evident that the resident made a written appeal in 10 working days, or that he clearly met the criteria for a managed move. It is therefore not clear there has been a significant failing or detriment. However, there is concern the landlord had more of a ‘gatekeeper’ approach than it should have, which it did not satisfactorily acknowledge.
While more evidence may have been beneficial for the resident’s application, the landlord could have shown that it was more mindful that this was not a specific stated policy requirement to progress an appeal. There was also initial confusion by staff when they originally submitted the application in late June 2023, and it did not progress until they were made aware of a correct process in mid July 2023. This did not significantly delay the application but the landlord may benefit from reviewing its staff training needs. This leads the Ombudsman to find a service failure in the landlord’s response about the managed move.

Determination

In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was service failure in the landlord’s response to the resident concerning:
1. His reports about property repairs.
2. His request for a managed move.
In accordance with paragraph 53.b. of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was reasonable redress in the landlord’s response to the resident concerning his reports about communal issues including doors, an electricity bill and lighting.

Orders

The landlord must, within 4 weeks, pay the resident £275 compensation in recognition of the distress and inconvenience caused by the issues identified. This replaces the £225 total it originally offered in respect to the complaint. If any of this has already been paid this can be deducted from the amount ordered.
The landlord must provide evidence of compliance with the above order no later than 4 weeks of the date of this determination.

Recommendations

The landlord is recommended to consider the current frequency of reports about the communal doors, and review if it is satisfied that they require no further action such as replacement.
The landlord is recommended to review its handling of the reports about the communal electricity bills to ensure it resolves similar issues in a timelier way.
The landlord is recommended to review its staff training needs, in respect to ensuring that:
1. relevant staff, including new staff, are aware how to correctly submit managed move applications.
2. relevant staff are aware that its policy does not specify that further third party supporting information is a requirement to progress an appeal of a management move decision.