Sovereign Network Group (202418080)

Decision
Case ID	202418080
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	Sovereign Network Group
Landlord type	Housing Association
Occupancy	Assured Tenancy
Date	12 February 2026

Background

The resident reported damp and mould in her property. The landlord is aware she has asthma. She complained that the landlord had failed to resolve the issue in a timely manner. She said the landlord had not supported her and she was unhappy with its complaint handling.

What the complaint is about

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

Our decision (determination)

We have found:
1. Maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould.
2. Reasonable redress in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s complaint.

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

Summary of reasons

The landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould

There were a several failures which had an adverse impact on the resident. The landlord failed to follow its policy when assessing the damp and mould and prioritising work. It did not provide a timeframe to complete work or address the resident’s concerns about incorrect dates in its complaint responses. It failed to raise all the repairs recommended in its damp and mould survey.

The landlord’s handling of the resident’s complaint

The landlord did not provide sufficient information in its stage 1 response and delayed in escalating the resident’s complaint. However, it acknowledged this at stage 2 of its complaint process and offered compensation in line with our remedies guidance.

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 12 March 2026
2	Compensation order The landlord must pay the resident £500 to recognise the distress and inconvenience caused by its handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould. This is in replacement of the landlord’s previous offer. The landlord may deduct any of the £350 it previously offered from the total amount if it can evidence this has been paid. This must be paid directly to the resident by the due date. The landlord must provide documentary evidence of payment by the due date.	No later than 12 March 2026
3	Inspection order The landlord must contact the resident to arrange an inspection. It must take all reasonable steps to ensure the inspection is completed by the due date. The inspection must be completed by someone suitably qualified to complete an inspection of the type needed. If the landlord cannot gain access to complete the inspection, it must provide us with documentary evidence of its attempts to inspect the property no later than the due date. What the inspection must achieve The landlord must ensure that the surveyor: inspects the property for damp and mould and produces a written report with photographs The survey report must set out: whether the property is fit for human habitation and whether there are any hazards the most likely cause of the damp and mould whether the landlord is responsible to repair or resolve the issue together with reasons where it is not responsible a full scope of works to achieve a lasting and effective resolution to the issue (if the landlord is responsible) the likely timescales to commence and complete the work whether temporary alternative accommodation is necessary either because of the condition of the property or during the works. The landlord may provide a copy of the report completed following its inspection of 3 February 2026 if it contains all the information outlined above.	No later than 26 March 2026

Recommendations

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

Our recommendations
The landlord should pay the resident the £250 offered in its stage 2 response for its handling of her complaint. Our finding of reasonable redress for its complaint handling is made on the basis that this compensation is paid to the resident.

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
26 April 2024	The resident said the landlord had sent an inspector to the property instead of a builder. She said she could not afford to keep the heating on all day to limit the damp and mould. She wanted to complain about the process, how she had been treated and the condition of her home.
13 May 2024	The landlord provided its stage 1 response and partially upheld the resident’s complaint. It said it had identified repairs when the resident reported damp and mould in October 2023. It said it had scheduled a follow-on repair for 4 June 2024 and instructed its contractor to complete a mould treatment.
17 May to 14 June 2024	The resident contacted the landlord several times as she was unhappy with its stage 1 response. She said: the landlord had not apologised or offered compensation, it had provided incorrect dates, and not explained what it had upheld the landlord only gave her a £50 energy voucher when she asked for help with electricity costs to limit the effect of damp and mould the landlord’s lack of communication persisted, it had not supported her, disregarded her health and wellbeing, left her without answers and she wanted to escalate her complaint
14 June 2024	The landlord confirmed it had escalated the resident’s complaint to stage 2.
1 July 2024	The landlord provided its stage 2 response. It said: it completed repairs to the pointing and tiles under the window following the resident reporting damp and mould in February 2024 its contractor would contact the resident to arrange an appointment for the mould wash, and it had asked the relevant team to contact the resident and arrange an appointment to overhaul her windows it upheld the resident’s complaint because there had been a service failure in the handling of the complaint it had reviewed the stage 1 investigation and found it did not contact the resident to discuss her complaint further it apologised and offered £250 for its failure in complaint handling, investigation, process and the delay in escalating her complaint
Referral to the Ombudsman	The resident referred her complaint to us because she was unhappy with the landlord’s complaint responses and the compensation offered. She said the landlord had not resolved the underlying cause of the damp and mould. She wanted the landlord to complete repairs to resolve the damp and mould and increased compensation.

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 landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould
Finding	Maladministration

What we did not investigate

The resident told us that the issues had impacted her health. It would be fairer, more reasonable and more effective for the resident to make a personal injury claim for this. The courts are best placed to deal with this type of dispute as they will have the benefit of independent medical advice to decide on the cause of any issue and how long it will last. We have not investigated this further. We can decide if a landlord should pay compensation for distress and inconvenience.
In its complaint responses the landlord provided a timeline of events from 2023. This included an overview of historical actions it had taken relating to leaks and damp and mould in the resident’s property. The resident did not raise a complaint at this time. Therefore, we have only investigated the issues raised as part of the resident’s complaint in April 2024.

What we did investigate

The resident reported damp and mould on the outside facing wall in her living room on 26 February 2024. The landlord scheduled an appointment to assess this on 20 March 2024. This did not align with its damp and mould policy to assess properties within 10 working days of a report of damp and mould.
The resident asked the landlord to bring this appointment forward on 8 March 2024 as she was struggling to breathe. The landlord could not do this. Its repairs policy allows it to bring repairs forward where the original repair reported had deteriorated and impacted the resident’s health. It is unclear whether the landlord clarified this with the resident.
The resident also asked for help with her heating costs to manage the damp and mould. The landlord sent her a £50 voucher and gave information on its debt advice team. This aligned with its damp and mould policy to support residents to heat their homes and signpost to support organisations.
The landlord completed the assessment on 20 March 2024 and a full inspection of the damp and mould the following day. It raised a job to inspect the brickwork under the ground floor window as it said this was a possible cause of the damp, and it may need to repoint it. The landlord raised this as a routine job.
The resident chased an appointment for damp and mould on 8 April 2024. She said the issue had become so bad she was struggling to breathe properly. The landlord scheduled an appointment for 26 April 2024. It is unclear whether the landlord made the resident aware that this appointment was to inspect the brickwork as the resident complained that it had sent an incorrect operative. The landlord confirmed that a builder would attend on 4 June 2024. It raised this as a routine repair despite its damp and mould policy saying it would complete repairs as quickly as possible.
The resident also requested further help with energy bills. She contacted the landlord about this again on 3 and 7 May 2024 when she queried if it could bring the appointment for 4 June 2024 forward. The landlord said it was unable to bring this forward and told the resident she needed to contact the local authority for heating vouchers. Although it had previously provided information on its debt advice team, it did not signpost the resident to support organisations on this occasion. It would have been reasonable for the landlord to do this as per its policy.
The landlord’s stage 1 response incorrectly said the resident reported damp and mould in October 2023. The resident raised this on 17 May 2024, but the landlord did not address this. A builder attended on 4 June 2024 as promised. However, the landlord also said it had instructed its contractor to complete a mould treatment but did not provide a timeframe. It would have been reasonable for it to do this. The landlord initially raised this job on 29 April 2024, and its contractor completed it on 5 July 2024, over 2 months later. This did not align with its damp and mould policy to complete repairs as quickly as possible.
The landlord’s damp and mould survey dated 25 June 2024 outlined that there was visible mould growth in the lounge and kitchen, cracked and bubbled paint on the lounge wall and signs of water ingress on the external wall below the front window. It recommended a further investigation of the pointing below the damp proof course, to scrape back and fill plaster before decoration, new rubber seals on windows and a potential cavity survey for cold spots. The landlord completed work on the windows on 13 September 2024. However, there is no evidence it raised the other jobs outlined in the survey.
The landlord did not offer any compensation for its handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould at stage 2 of its complaint process. On 2 August 2024 it offered an additional £350 compensation for the “timeframe of the issue and impact”. This has been noted and assessed. However, landlords should undertake a sufficient investigation and review all circumstances of the case at stage 2 of their complaints process. The resident has confirmed that she has not accepted the compensation offered.
Our remedies guidance allows for compensation of £100 to £600 where there had been failures which adversely affected the resident. While the landlord’s increased offer is within this range it does not adequately reflect the impact on the resident. The landlord did not acknowledge its failings during the complaint process. The resident described the impact this was having on her to the landlord. She explained the distress this caused her to us and that the issues with damp and mould continued. Therefore, we have made orders for the landlord to apologise, pay additional compensation and take action to put things right in line with our dispute resolution principles.

Complaint	The handling of the complaint
Finding	Reasonable redress

The landlord’s complaint policy at the time of the resident’s complaint was not compliant with our 2024 Complaint Handling Code (the Code). However, it has since updated its policy to be compliant with the Code.
The landlord provided its stage 1 response 11 working days after the resident complained. Its complaint policy at the time did not require it to acknowledge the complaint. However, it required it to agree a resolution with the resident within 10 working days and inform her if it needed an extension. This slight delay was an oversight. The landlord partially upheld the resident’s complaint but did not explain why.
The landlord took 19 working days to escalate the resident’s complaint despite her contacting it several times during this time. However, it provided its stage 2 response within 20 working days from it escalating her complaint as outlined in its complaint policy. In its response the landlord acknowledged the delay in escalating the resident’s complaint and that it did not contact her at stage 1 to discuss her complaint further. It provided information on the repairs history and upcoming repairs.
There were some failures, but the landlord identified and acknowledged this prior to our investigation and on its own initiative. It took steps to put things right in line with our dispute resolution principles and made an offer of compensation that aligns with our remedies guidance.

Learning

In both its complaint responses the landlord said it would relay the issues experienced by the resident to its relevant teams and management. This was positive and highlighted learning it had taken from the complaint.

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

The landlord failed to maintain adequate records. This included if it clarified if the situation had deteriorated when the resident asked it to bring her appointment forward. It is also unclear whether the landlord explained to the resident that it would be inspecting the brickwork on 26 April 2024. At times this made it difficult to assess its actions.

Communication

The landlord failed to call the resident back when she contacted it despite setting tasks for this.