Affordable Housing Communities Limited (202335441)

Background

1. The resident’s property has underfloor heating which is controlled by 5 separate thermostats. The resident says he reported issues with the functionality of the thermostats to the landlord shortly after moving into the property in May 2022. In December 2023, the resident made a complaint to the landlord. He said that he believed the thermostats were faulty, which should be covered by the manufacturers warranty. He said the warranty should have been registered by the landlord, or its contractor which installed the thermostats. At the end of the complaints process, the landlord told the resident that “individual warranties are the responsibility of homeowners”.

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s concerns about the property’s thermostats.

Our decision (determination)

3. The complaint was resolved with our intervention.

Summary of reasons

4. Following the end of the complaint process, the landlord told us it “became apparent a vital step in our process was missed and the matter is not resolved”. It said it had arranged for a contractor to “replace the thermostat and reset the property’s heating controls”. A contractor attended on 13 September 2024. They reset the heating but did not replace the thermostats.
5. The resident continued to experience issues with the functionality of the thermostats after this. In October 2024 he arranged for them to be replaced at a cost of £665. The resident told us he was seeking reimbursement of this amount to resolve the complaint.
6. We contacted the landlord and provided it with a summary of our understanding of events. This included some comments on areas that could have been handled better and what the landlord could do to resolve the resident’s complaint.
7. Following our intervention, the landlord offered to pay the resident £665 to reimburse his costs, plus a further £50 compensation for his time and trouble in pursuing the complaint. Both parties agreed to this as a resolution to the complaint and the landlord has now paid the resident the sum of £715.
8. We are therefore satisfied that, following intervention, the landlord has taken action to remedy the matters and resolve the complaint.