Haringey London Borough Council (202440244)

Decision
Case ID	202440244
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	Haringey London Borough Council
Landlord type	Local Authority / ALMO or TMO
Occupancy	Assured Shorthold Tenancy
Date	19 December 2025

Background

The resident said she had issues with her balcony door since she moved into the property. She said that she reported this to the landlord, but the repairs have been outstanding for over a year.

What the complaint is about

The resident complained about the landlord’s handling of repairs to the balcony door.
We have also considered the landlord’s handling of the resident’s complaint.

Our decision (determination)

We have found that:
1. There was a service failure in the landlord’s handling of repairs to the balcony door.
2. There was a service failure in the landlord’s handling of the complaint.

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

Summary of reasons

The landlord failed to complete the balcony door repairs within its policy timeframes, it did not properly manage or communicate appointments, and left the issue unresolved for an extended period, causing avoidable distress and inconvenience to the resident. While it offered some compensation to the resident, this did not adequately reflect the extent of the delays or the impact of the unresolved repairs.
The landlord did not acknowledge or respond to the stage 2 complaint within its policy timescales and it failed to consider the impact of delays in its complaint handling.

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	Apology order The landlord must apologise in writing to the resident for the failures identified in this report. The landlord must ensure: The apology is specific to the failures identified in this decision, meaningful and empathetic. It has due regard to our apologies guidance.	No later than 15 January 2026
	Compensation order The landlord must pay the resident £150 compensation in addition to its previous offer to acknowledge the distress and inconvenience caused by its failures identified in this report. This comprises: £100 for its handling of repairs to the balcony door. £50 for its complaint handling.	15 January 2026
	Repair order The landlord must contact the resident to explain its position regarding the balcony door, set out the actions it intends to take to resolve the issue, and provide a clear timescale for completing any work that is needed.	15 January 2026

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
21 September 2024	The resident complained about an unfinished repair to her balcony door dating back to 2023. She stated that an operative attended in 2023 and carried out a temporary fix, however no return visit has been made.
9 October 2024	The landlord issued its stage 1 response. It apologised for its handling of the balcony door repairs. It acknowledged that no follow‑up work had been completed since the July 2023 visit. It explained that an operative attended in October 2024 without notifying the resident, so the visit was refused. It confirmed that an appointment was rescheduled for November 2024. It offered £50 compensation for the inconvenience caused.
26 November 2024	The resident escalated her complaint as she was unhappy the November 2024 appointment was missed. She explained she had taken time off work for this appointment.
8 January 2025	The landlord issued its stage 2 response. It confirmed that no one attended the scheduled visit on 20 November 2024 and an appointment had been arranged for 3 January 2025 instead. It acknowledged that incorrect information had been given about the appointment date and that the booking was not made properly, which caused the resident to wait unnecessarily. It recognised that this added to the distress caused by the outstanding repair. It offered £200 compensation to the resident.
Referral to the Ombudsman	The resident is seeking for the landlord to repair her balcony door.

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	Repairs to the balcony door
Finding	Service failure

The landlord is responsible for keeping the property in good repair, including doors. Its repair policy says routine repairs should be finished within 28 days, and planned repairs within 80 days.
On 31 July 2023 an operative visited to repair the resident’s balcony door. They only carried out a temporary fix and said a new multi‑point lock was needed.
The operative visited again on 9 October 2023.However the resident refused entry because she had not been made aware of the appointment. There is no evidence that the resident had been made aware of the appointment at the time. It would have been appropriate for the landlord to reschedule this appointment, but there is no evidence this was done.
The resident complained about unfinished repairs on 21 September 2024. This was an opportunity for the landlord to put matters right, but there is no evidence that the landlord attended to the repair within the timelines set out in its repairs policy. In its stage 2 response, the landlord stated its operative attended on 9 October 2024 but was refused access. The repairs record does not demonstrate this visit, instead it refers to the attempted visit on 9 October 2023, a year previously.
It is important that the landlord maintains accurate and reliable records of its repair appointments. The inconsistency between the landlord’s repair records and complaint response does not demonstrate that it managed the repair appropriately.
The resident was told an appointment was booked for 20 November 2024, but the operative did not attend. When she chased the landlord, it confirmed that no appointment had been scheduled. This is unreasonable as the landlord must ensure that appointments are accurately recorded and managed, and that any changes are made clear to the resident. The landlord did not demonstrate that it took appropriate actions, which caused the resident avoidable distress and inconvenience.
On 3 January 2025 the operative visited and confirmed that the multi-point lock on the door was previously removed in the 2023 visit. They were unable to confirm which lock was required and referred the job back to the previous operative. They also told the resident it may need to order a new lock. While we understand the operative’s position, the further delay and lack of resolution caused the resident avoidable distress.
On 8 January 2025, in its complaint response, the landlord apologised for its poor handling of the resident’s repairs and offered £200 compensation. This was in addition to the £50 previously offered in October 2024. It was appropriate for the landlord to consider compensation and at the time the amount offered was fair and proportionate.
However the landlord has not demonstrated that the door repairs were completed. It referred the job back to the previous operative on 9 January 2025. However he was on long term absence, which resulted in the follow-on works being delayed. While we acknowledge that staff sickness is outside of the landlord’s control, the landlord remains responsible for managing repairs and ensuring continuity of service. We would have expected the landlord to have made appropriate arrangements to progress the repairs, however there is no evidence to demonstrate this was done at the time.
The landlord booked an appointment for 12 August 2025 to assess the resident’s concerns and identify any outstanding repairs. Although we initially had no evidence of the outcome, the landlord has since confirmed that the operative was unable to complete the works and that a specialist contractor is required. It also explained that no contractor is currently in place for this type of work, though the procurement process is underway. As the resident reports that the repairs remain outstanding, and there is no evidence that any works have been completed, we are not satisfied that the landlord has resolved the repair.
Overall, the landlord’s total offer of compensation at the end of its internal complaints procedure was reasonable. However, it then failed to ensure that matters were put right following its final response. Therefore, in recognition of the ongoing issue remaining for an extended period following the landlord’s final response and its ongoing failure to address the resident’s request to repair the door, we have made a finding of service failure. We have made an order for further compensation to reflect the impact caused on the resident and to ensure works are completed.

Complaint	The handling of the complaint
Finding	Service failure

The resident raised a complaint on 21 September 2024, which the landlord acknowledged. The landlord provided a stage 1 response on 9 October 2024. This was in line with the landlord’s complaints policy, which says it will acknowledge complaints within 5 working days and respond to complaints within 10 working days.
The resident escalated her complaint on 26 November 2024. We have not seen a record to show if the landlord acknowledged this within its expected timescales of 5 working days. We have seen a screenshot with no date where the landlord said it would provide the resident with a response by 3 January 2025, however this was not provided until 8 January 2025. This was outside of the landlord’s complaints policy which states it will respond to stage 2 complaints within 20 working days.
Overall, we consider the landlord’s handling of the resident’s complaint to be unreasonable. The evidence shows that the landlord did not consider the impact of delays in its complaint handling. Therefore, in recognition of the inconvenience caused to the resident we have found there was a service failure and have made an order for the landlord to compensate the resident in line with its compensation policy.

Learning

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

Accurate and consistent record keeping is essential to demonstrate repairs are being properly managed and completed. The landlord should keep this in mind when dealing with residents’ repairs in future.

Communication

The landlord did not ensure clear communication with the resident about appointments and follow on work. It is important that residents are kept updated to avoid distress and inconvenience.