Paragon Asra Housing Limited (202347877)

Background

1. The resident reported a leak in the corner of her bathroom ceiling in 2022. She was unhappy with the landlord’s delay in addressing the matter and the associated repairs.

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of a roof leak, damp and mould.
3. We have also considered the landlord’s complaint handling.

Our decision (determination)

4. We have found that:
   1. There was a service failure in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of a roof leak, damp and mould.
   2. There was an offer of reasonable redress in response to the landlord’s handling of the resident’s complaint.

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

Summary of reasons

5. The landlord’s delays, poor communication, and unresolved repairs caused the resident avoidable distress and inconvenience.
6. The landlord acknowledged its complaint handling failures and offered compensation in line with its policy.

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.

Recommendations

Our recommendations are not binding, and a landlord may decide not to follow them.

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

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.

7. The resident has raised complaint issues which have occurred since the complaint exhausted the landlord’s complaint procedure. The landlord also carried out 2 inspections in August 2025. While this is noted as context, we have no power to investigate complaints which the landlord has not had the chance to put right first. We have however made a recommendation that the landlord contact the resident to discuss this and provide a plan of action if necessary.
8. The landlord is responsible for keeping the property in good repair, including repairs needed to leaks, the roof and associated repairs. Its maintenance policy states:
   1. Emergency repairs are responded to within 4 hours and rectified within 24 hours. This includes flooding.
   2. Non-emergency repairs are completed within 15 working days. This includes leaking roofs. It explained some repairs will need more than one appointment to resolve the issue. In such cases its operatives will arrange the next appointment date if required.
   3. Variable priority repairs are extensive works often requiring multiple visits, specialist input, significant cost, and project management, with agreed timescales and post‑completion inspections to ensure quality,
9. The resident reported a leak into her bathroom and that her light was flickering on 6 December 2022. An operative attended that same day to isolate the spotlight in the affected area and make the area safe. This was appropriate and in line with the landlord’s policy.
10. The operative identified that a leak may have been coming from the communal roof. The resident confirmed that a roofer visited in January 2023 to assess the roof but he was unable to access it. She stated that she further chased the landlord in February 2023 about the damp and mould caused by the leak in her bathroom. However there is no record that that landlord took any action following this report.
11. We would expect the landlord to address concerns within its expected timescales set out in its repairpolicy. However the evidence shows that an operative visited 4 months after the roof had first been identified as the cause of the leak it in April 2023 to assess the works. Following this visit the landlordfailed to raise the follow-on works required.
12. In line with its repairs obligations the landlord should have investigated and progressed the matter within its expected timescales. The 4-month delay before an operative attended and the failure to raise follow-on works was unreasonable. This resulted in the matter being unresolved for a prolonged period, causing the resident avoidable distress and inconvenience.
13. In November 2023 the resident chased the landlord about the outstanding repairs. She also explained the damp and mould was worsening in her bathroom. An operative was scheduled to attend on 11 December 2023 to assess the matter, however there is no evidence this was done. Instead they attended on 12 and 13 December 2023 but had no access to the property.
14. The landlord did not demonstrate that it informed the resident of these appointments in advance. This is unreasonable as the landlord’s records should clearly show that the resident was notified.
15. The landlord confirmed roof repairs in February 2024, but the evidence does not show what works were done or that they were completed. Without contemporaneous records, the landlord has not demonstrated that it properly addressed the matter.
16. In its stage 2 response the landlord stated the repairs to the bathroom ceiling were completed on 12 April 2024. However this was incorrect, as the repair to the light remained outstanding until July 2024. This resulted in the resident having to chase the repairs.
17. Overall the landlord took an unreasonably long time to resolve the matter. Despite being aware of the leak and associated repairs since 2022, there were missed opportunities for the landlord to progress repairs in line with its repair timescales.
18. While we note the landlord apologised for its failures and offered the resident compensation on 30 April 2024, the amount does not reflect the inconvenience caused by repairs remaining outstanding for 3 months after the end of complaints process. The landlord did not do enough to put matters right in a reasonable amount of time after its final response. We have therefore made a finding of service failure and have ordered additional compensation to recognise the delays.

19. The resident raised a complaint on 29 November 2023, The landlord acknowledged the resident’s stage 1 complaint promptly. It then replied to the complaint within 10 working days, in line with policy.
20. On 27 February 2024 the resident expressed dissatisfaction with the landlord’s handling of her reports and complaint. At this point it would have been appropriate for the landlord to escalate her complaint but this was not done.
21. This failure to escalate the complaint promptly, meant the resident did not receive a timely resolution. The landlord’s actions were not in line with the Complaint Handling Code, which requires landlords to treat an expression of dissatisfaction as a complaint and escalate it appropriately.
22. The landlord escalated the resident’s complaint to stage 2 on 2 April 2024 and issued its response on 30 April 2024. Although there was only a delay of 1 day, this was outside of the landlord’s complaints policy which states it will respond to stage 2 complaints within 20 working days of acknowledgement.
23. The landlord’s handling of the complaint, in particular the failure to escalate promptly was not in line with its policy. However it appropriately addressed this, considered its compensation policy and offered the resident £100 for its lack of communication and delay in escalating the complaint. Overall the amount offered was fair and proportionate.

Learning

Knowledge information management (record keeping) and communication

24. The landlord should ensure that residents are always notified in advance of appointments and that clear records are kept to evidence this communication. Robust procedures for scheduling, confirming, and documenting visits would help prevent misunderstandings, and demonstrate that the landlord is taking appropriate steps to resolve matters.