London & Quadrant Housing Trust (202519148)

Decision
Case ID	202519148
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	London & Quadrant Housing Trust
Landlord type	Housing Association
Occupancy	Assured Tenancy
Date	22 December 2025

Background

1. The resident moved into a basement studio flat in August 2023. She has mental health conditions known to the landlord. During her tenancy, she reported widespread damp and mould. She felt the property was uninhabitable and temporarily moved out in February 2025. She subsequently complained that the landlord had not sorted out the damp and mould.

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of:
   1. The resident’s reports of damp and mould.
   2. The complaint.

Our decision (determination)

3. We found service failure in the landlord’s handling of:
   1. The resident’s reports of damp and mould.
   2. The complaint.

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

Summary of reasons

Damp and mould

4. External drainage repairs were completed in July 2025, and the landlord acknowledged delays, offering both an apology and compensation. However, internal repairs remained outstanding almost 5 months after its July 2025 final response.

Complaint handling

5. The landlord failed to escalate the complaint promptly, and its stage 2 final response was delayed. It did not acknowledge this failing or offer an appropriate remedy.
   

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	Compensation order   The landlord must pay the resident £275 made up of: £200 for the distress and inconvenience caused by its handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould. £75 for the distress and inconvenience caused by its complaint handling.   This must be paid directly to the resident by the due date. The landlord must provide documentary evidence of payment.	No later than 26 January 2026
2	Provide details of internal works completed   Given the resident has disputed that all the internal works were completed, the landlord must provide an itemised list of the completed works to the resident and us by the due date.	No later than 26 January 2026

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
22 April 2025	The resident complained about persistent damp and mould. She said promised repairs never happened and she had needed to dispose of mould-damaged belongings. She criticised poor communication, lack of urgency, and disregard for her safety. She told the landlord she had moved out of the property. She added it was unfair to pay rent for an unsafe home, had accumulated debt and that the landlord had not offered to rehouse her. Despite multiple surveys, she claimed the landlord took no action.
22 April 2025	The landlord responded at stage 1 on the same day as the complaint. It confirmed a damp survey was completed on 22 March 2025, which led to a drainage survey being booked for 20 May 2025. The landlord stated it would monitor progress and arrange any follow-up repairs once the drainage report was received.
24 April 2025	The resident escalated her complaint, repeating parts of her complaint and that the landlord ignored her concerns. She said she was still liable for rent despite being unable to live in the property. She asked if the landlord would replace her damaged belongings.
10 July 2025	The landlord issued its final stage 2 response, upholding the complaint. It confirmed that external drainage works began on 1 July 2025 and once completed, internal repairs would follow. The landlord apologised for ongoing delays, acknowledging the inconvenience and distress caused, and provided details on claiming for damaged belongings. However, it said the property was liveable both prior to the complaint and during the repairs. It offered £910 compensation for distress, inconvenience, and time and effort.
Referral to the Ombudsman	The resident remained unhappy with the landlord’s handling of the situation. She said she was homeless and in financial difficulty. She claimed the landlord ignored her needs and had paid the compensation to her rent account. She wanted the damp and mould resolved, further compensation and for the landlord to improve its processes.

 

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 handling of resident’s reports of damp and mould
Finding	Service failure

What we have not considered

6. In November 2024, we determined a complaint from the same resident to us about damp and mould. The resident later complained about delays by the landlord following compliance with our orders and in resolving the issue. The landlord responded to this new complaint in July 2025. As we cannot revisit periods already investigated, this report will focus on events from 2025 onwards, up to the landlord’s final response in July 2025.

What we have considered

7. The resident complained about damp and mould in the property, saying that personal belongings were damaged. She said repairs were not completed, leaving her homeless and in debt, living “like a nomad.” She added the landlord failed to communicate, did not treat the matter urgently and charged rent for an unsafe property.
8. The landlord upheld the complaint, confirming that both internal and external works were required and would be monitored until completion. It apologised for delays, provided guidance on claiming for damaged items, and offered £910 compensation for distress, inconvenience, and time and trouble.
9. The evidence shows the landlord conducted 2 surveys in January and March 2025, both identifying damp and recommending remedial works. It is unclear why 2 surveys were needed within 2 months. The March survey recommended a CCTV drainage survey, installation of mechanical fans and a passive wall vent, removal of render in the front room, and reskimming and painting.
10. However, the landlord did not explain the findings or next steps, leaving the resident uninformed and uncertain about its plans. External works were raised within 10 working days of the initial assessment, in line with its damp and mould policy. However, the drainage survey was not completed until May 2025, and it did not complete follow-on external drainage works until early July 2025 – well beyond the 20-day routine repairs timescale in its repair policy.
11. The resident told us that she moved out temporarily in February 2025 due to concerns about the property. She told the landlord this in her April complaint, where she also said she had debt problems and felt it was unfair to pay rent while not living in the property. The resident’s liability for the rent was not removed by her choosing to move out. However, the landlord’s website lists a range of financial support services and in-house debt support, such as Pound Advice, which it can direct its tenants to. There is no evidence it did so in this case. Because of that it missed an opportunity to refer her to those services for help with payment plans or benefits. Failure to do so showed a lack of proactive tenancy sustainment, compassion and good practice.
12. Although the landlord identified required works, completion was delayed. Internal works were not finished until December 2025 – over 5 months after external works – far beyond routine repair timescales. The landlord provided no evidence to explain the delay or to show it kept the resident informed. In the absence of such evidence, the time taken for the internal works was unreasonable.
13. The resident said mould damaged her belongings. The landlord appropriately signposted her to its insurer in its final response, which was in line with its compensation policy.
14. The resident told us she felt the landlord paid itself by crediting compensation to her rent account. However, its policy allows the landlord offset compensation against rent arrears, so this approach was not unreasonable.
15. Although the resident left in February 2025, she explained that delays in completing repairs were distressing and she felt she was unable to return. The landlord told her the property was liveable and promised works but failed to act promptly, leaving uncertainty over whether survey recommendations were implemented. Despite apologising and offering £910 compensation, there were further delays in internal works.
16. Taken together, the landlord’s approach to damp and mould was inadequate, with delayed repairs, and a lack of updates. Given the effort required from the resident and the prolonged failures, the remedy was insufficient.
17. The landlord confirmed all internal works were completed in December 2025 and contacted the resident about returning to the property. However, she has recently told us she disputes that all internal works were completed and requested an itemised list of the completed works.

.Complaint	Complaint handling
Finding	Service failure

18. The landlord issued its stage 1 response within 10 working days, in line with its complaints policy and the Complaint Handling Code. On 24 April 2025, the resident escalated the complaint. However, the landlord failed to issue its stage 2 response within its 20 working day policy timescale.
19. It acknowledged the stage 2 complaint on 20 June 2025, already well outside its 20-working day timeframe, despite internal landlord communication showing it was aware of her escalation request on 24 April 2025. It finally responded on 10 July 2025, over 50 working days after escalation. This delay was unreasonable and likely left the resident feeling ignored.
20. The landlord neither apologised nor offered any remedy for the delay in its final response.

Learning

21. The landlord should ensure timely updates and maintain regular communication with residents throughout its damp and mould repairs process to prevent uncertainty and distress.

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

22. In this case, the landlord’s record keeping was satisfactory.

Communication

23. The landlord’s published complaint response timescales are important. If delays are unavoidable, it should clearly explain the reasons and provide a revised response date  to manage expectations and maintain trust.