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A2Dominion Housing Group Limited (202451673)

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REPORT

COMPLAINT 202451673

A2Dominion Housing Group Limited

24 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 the resident’s reports of damp and mould.

Background

  1. The resident has a secure tenancy which began on 22 July 2010. The property is a 3-bed house. The resident has explained that several members of the household suffer from asthma or short term respiratory illnesses.
  2. There is a history of damp and mould reports and treatments at the property. This Service previously investigated another complaint (ref 202229884) which related to reports of damp and mould. That report ordered that the landlord carry out a damp and mould inspection and act on the findings of that report. The inspection recommended works to improve the ventilation in the bathroom and landlord records show it completed those repairs in April 2024.
  3. On 3 January 2025, the resident raised a stage 1 complaint as damp had returned to her bathroom. The resident said she was unhappy with the landlord’s communications and the time taken to complete works.
  4. The landlord provided a stage 1 response on 10 February 2025 and upheld the complaint. It acknowledged communication failures regards “an update on what is being done to resolve the damp issue”. The landlord said that it would contact her to arrange a damp and mould survey and any required follow-on works. It offered a compensation payment of £350 for the failings.
  5. The resident requested an escalation to stage 2 on the same day. She said she had first reported the return of damp and mould in November 2024 and chased multiple times. The resident said the landlord provided inconsistent information about call backs and staff availability.
  6. The landlord provided a stage 2 response on 14 March 2025, in which it upheld the complaint. It acknowledged that it had failed to complete any works or provide updates since the stage 1 response. The landlord added that it had failed to provide a copy of the report from its survey in February 2025, as agreed at stage 1. The landlord detailed the follow-on works required (including loft and guttering inspections and a mould wash) and offered further compensation of £50 for these failings.
  7. The resident brought the case to this Service on 19 March 2025, as she remained unhappy with the landlord’s response. Landlord records indicate that the landlord raised several works in July 2025, linked to the damp and mould treatment. Within the resident’s submission to this Service, she said she wished to seek a move from the property.

Assessment and findings

  1. The landlord’s damp and mould policy says that it will investigate all reports of damp and mould within 14 days. The policy says that the landlord will provide inspection findings to the resident within 2 days of the investigation and begin works within 7 days of providing the findings.
  2. The resident complained due to a lack of response to reports of damp made in November 2024. This Service has not had sight of landlord records showing these contacts. However, the resident’s claims of a lack of response are not disputed by the landlord. Within its stage 1 response, the landlord acknowledged communication failings on its part. This lack of action following the resident’s reports caused an unnecessary delay in the damp investigation process.
  3. After the resident logged the complaint, the landlord failed to raise a damp and mould case until she chased it on 24 January 2025. As the landlord acknowledged the complaint on 3 January 2025, 3 weeks prior to her call, the delay in the landlord raising the damp and mould case was unreasonable. The landlord therefore failed to meet the timeframes set out in its damp and mould policy. 
  4. The landlord inspected the property on 10 February 2025. The survey identified various works to try and resolve the continued reoccurrences of damp. This meant that it took the landlord 19 days to carry out its investigation following the opening of the damp and mould case, exceeding the timeframe set out in its policy.
  5. Given the history of damp at the property, it would have been reasonable for the landlord to ensure that it actioned the works it identified as a priority. However, the landlord acknowledged in its stage 2 response on 14 March 2025 that it had not started any of the required works. This was around 30 days after the inspection. Given that it should have begun works within 9 days of the inspection, there was an unreasonable delay of 21 days.
  6. Within the stage 2 response, the landlord detailed the agreed works and said it should complete these by 30 April 2025, subject to possible delays. The landlord’s records show that some of these works (ventilation, guttering, insulation and decoration) were outstanding as of July 2025.
  7. Although some delays are understandable where the scope of works may change and further diagnosis is needed, they were unreasonable in this case given the resident’s new reports were made over 6 months prior. The delays demonstrated a continued lack of adequate oversight of the works and insufficient urgency to deal with the recurring damp. 
  8. Through the complaints process, the landlord offered total compensation of £400 in recognition of its failings. At the time of this offer, this amount was proportionate for the failures adversely affecting the resident in late 2024 to early 2025. However, given the continued nature of those failings beyond the end of the complaints process, this Service has ordered increased compensation.
  9. In summary, the landlord failed to acknowledge the initial November 2024 reports of damp and mould and, after receiving a complaint, it did not act in a timely manner to identify and start the required works. Despite acknowledging its failings in the complaint responses, the landlord showed a lack of learning beyond the end of the complaints process. It continued to show a lack of oversight to ensure completion of the required works after the stage 2 response.
  10. During this period, the landlord left the resident waiting on dates for works, despite her regularly stated concerns about her family’s health. The delays throughout this period likely caused her significant distress and inconvenience.  
  11. Having considered the service failings identified in this report, the Ombudsman makes a finding of maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould.

Determination (decision)

  1. 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.

Orders

  1. Within 28 days of this report, the landlord is required to provide a written apology to the resident for the failings identified in this report
  2. Within 28 days of this report, the landlord is ordered to make a compensation payment of £600 to the resident for the distress and inconvenience caused by its handling of her reports of damp and mould (this is inclusive of the £400 it offered through its complaints process).
  3. Within 28 days of the date of this report, the landlord should complete a damp and mould survey. A full report should be produced detailing its findings. This should ensure that possible causes of damp and mould have been resolved and that all remedial works have been completed to a good standard. If any further works are required, the landlord should create a schedule of works. It should provide a copy of the report to the resident within 14 days of the inspection, along with details of any timescales for works that it finds to be outstanding.
  4. The landlord must reply to this Service with evidence of compliance with these orders within the timescales set out above.

Recommendations

  1. The landlord to provide the resident with information on how she can seek a property transfer.