London & Quadrant Housing Trust (202519024)
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Decision |
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Case ID |
202519024 |
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Decision type |
Investigation |
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Landlord |
London & Quadrant Housing Trust |
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Landlord type |
Housing Association |
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Occupancy |
Secure Tenancy |
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Date |
29 January 2026 |
Background
- The resident complained about delays to boiler repairs and a lack of heating and hot water.
What the complaint is about
- The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of:
- boiler repairs.
- the complaint.
Our decision (determination)
- There was maladministration in the landlord’s handling of boiler repairs.
- There was no maladministration in the landlord’s complaint handling.
We have made orders for the landlord to put things right.
Summary of reasons
- The boiler repair took too long. There were access issues following the end of the complaints process. However, the landlord missed further appointments which contributed to the delay. It also failed to show it appropriately arranged all access attempts. The compensation was not enough to account for its role in the further delays.
- The landlord responded to the complaint in line with its complaint policy and the Code.
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.
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Order |
What the landlord must do |
Due date |
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1 |
Apology order The landlord must apologise in writing to the resident for the failures identified in this report. The landlord must ensure:
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No later than 26 February 2026 |
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2 |
Compensation order The landlord must pay the resident £663.06 made up as follows:
This must be paid directly to the resident by the due date. The landlord must provide documentary evidence of payment by the due date. The landlord may deduct from the total figure any payments it has already paid. |
No later than 26 February 2026 |
Recommendations
Our recommendations are not binding, and a landlord may decide not to follow them.
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Our recommendations |
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If it has not already done so, the landlord should pay the resident compensation for the missed appointment on 21 July 2025 in line with its compensation policy. |
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The landlord should review its record keeping practices in how it records booking repair appointments with residents and instances of no access. |
Our investigation
The complaint procedure
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Date |
What happened |
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20 May 2025 |
The resident complained to the landlord about the installation of a new boiler. He said he had been without heating and hot water for over a month. The resident said the heaters the landlord supplied were expensive and he was paying a standing charge each day for gas. |
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28 May 2025 |
The landlord responded at stage 1. It said:
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27 June 2025 |
The resident escalated his complaint. He was unhappy with the compensation offered. He asked for compensation for time off work for failed appointments. |
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24 July 2025 |
The landlord responded at stage 2. It said:
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Referral to the Ombudsman |
The resident was unhappy with the landlord’s final response and compensation. He brought the complaint to us. The resident told us the landlord had missed further repair appointments. |
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After the end of the complaints process |
The landlord completed the electrical appointment for the boiler installation on 8 November 2025. |
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.
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Complaint |
Handling of boiler repairs |
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Finding |
Maladministration |
- It was not clear from the records provided when the issue with the boiler first happened. In its stage 1 response on 28 May 2025, the landlord said it attended on 13 March 2025 and issued a warning notice as a part had failed. There were no recent reports about the boiler before this in the repair records the landlord provided. The landlord calculated the loss of heating and hot water from 13 March 2025.
- The landlord acknowledged missing a 21 March 2025 appointment. It said its contractor paid the resident £30 compensation. This exceeded the £20 fixed payment set out in its compensation policy for a failed appointment so was an appropriate amount.
- The stage 1 response said there was no access at an appointment on 25 March 2025. We have not seen evidence about this appointment, including when it was booked, what notice was given, or access attempts. This showed poor record‑keeping.
- The landlord attended on 10 April 2025. Its records show it raised works to install a new boiler on 11 April 2025. Its stage 1 response said it provided the resident with heaters on 10 April 2025. However, the landlord missed an opportunity to supply heaters earlier, given it said that the resident had been without heating and hot water since 13 March 2025.
- The landlord needed to complete an asbestos survey before installing the boiler. It raised this promptly with its contractor on 14 April 2025. In its stage 1 response, it said the survey was delayed because the resident was only available at weekends. Its correspondence with the contractor confirmed this. It noted weekend availability was limited. However, the landlord’s communication with the resident at the time was unclear. It did not show that it discussed the delay or set expectations about when a weekend appointment would likely be available.
- The landlord completed the asbestos survey on 13 June 2025. Its records show a further failed appointment on 27 June 2025 to complete the boiler installation. It completed the installation on 4 July 2025. This was a timeframe of 113 days. The landlord therefore failed to meet the timescales set out in its repair policy. Its policy at the time the repair was raised said it aimed to complete repairs within 20 calendar days. The need to complete an asbestos survey and accommodating a weekend appointment impacted the timescale here but other delays were unnecessary.
- However, electrical work to fully complete the installation was not done. In its stage 2 response, the landlord said its contractor missed an appointment on 21 July 2025 for this. It asked the resident to confirm dates for it to complete this.
- The remaining work was unclear. On 24 July 2025, the resident told the landlord the outstanding task was installing a thermostat and asked for it to be completed at the same time as other unrelated repairs. The landlord’s records show its contractor contacted the resident to arrange access on 15, 22, and 28 July 2025 to finish the boiler installation.
- There were further missed and no access appointments. There was a no access appointment on 9 August 2025. The resident told the landlord he had not received notice. We found no evidence the landlord had booked this appointment. The tenancy agreement requires at least 24 hours notice for repairs. Records about appointments were unclear. Internal correspondence from September 2025 states the resident cancelled an appointment on 16 August 2025. However, an email from the contractor to the landlord in January 2026 states the appointment on 16 August 2025 was rescheduled to 30 August 2025 due to staff sickness. Internal correspondence states no access was provided on 30 August 2025. However again there is no evidence of the landlord arranging the appointment.
- The landlord did not provide us with its no access policy or procedure. The evidence shows the repairs team asked for internal assistance in September 2025 to gain access. The landlord’s correspondence with its contractor shows a no access appointment on 27 September 2025. It noted the resident forgot the appointment. An appointment on 11 October 2025 was also no access. However, the resident told the landlord he was home but it did not call him. The landlord completed the repair on 8 November 2025.
- The resident asked the landlord for compensation for the time he had taken off work for repair appointments. In its stage 2 response, the landlord said it did not compensate for loss of work. It said it considered the inconvenience caused. This was in line with its compensation policy. This says it will not pay compensation for loss of earnings. It may offer discretionary compensation, which it did.
- The landlord part upheld the complaint. It acknowledged missed appointments, and the distress and inconvenience this caused the resident. It offered the resident compensation of £523.06. Its contractor also paid the resident £30 compensation for the missed appointment on 21 March 2025. The landlord’s records showed it also requested a missed appointment payment for 21 July 2025 although it was not clear how this was paid.
- The compensation went part way to putting things right. However, the landlord took a further 3 months to complete the repair after the end of the complaints process. It attempted to book this. Delays arose partly because the landlord tried to accommodate the resident’s request for weekend appointments and no access appointments. However, there were also multiple failed appointments. The landlord noted several no‑access visits without its records showing it had properly arranged them. It did not learn from the complaint. Failed appointments and poor communication continued after the complaints process ended. Therefore, the compensation was not proportionate to the failings identified by our investigation and we have ordered an additional £140 compensation to reflect the continued adverse impact on the resident as a result.
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Complaint |
Complaint handling |
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Finding |
No maladministration |
- The Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code (the Code) April 2024 sets out how a landlord should respond to complaints. It must respond to stage 1 complaints within 10 working days and stage 2 complaints within 20 working days. The landlord’s complaints policy complies with the timescales in the Code. The landlord acknowledged and responded to the complaint on time at both stages.
- The resident remained unhappy that the compensation offered at both stages had been applied to his rent account. At stage 1, the landlord confirmed £27.06 for the reimbursement of electricity costs would be paid directly to the resident. This was reasonable given that this was a reimbursement of additional costs incurred by him.
- The landlord said it would offset the remaining compensation against arrears on the resident’s rent account. It said the same at stage 2 for the additional compensation offered. Its approach here was in line with its compensation policy. This says it can partially or fully offset a compensation payment against any debt owed by a resident. It says this is not applicable for out-of-pocket expenses. The landlord appropriately explained its decision to do this at both stages.
Learning
Missed appointments
- The landlord did not take learning from the complaint. Part of the reason for the continued delay to the repair after the end of the complaints process was due to further failed appointments. It should consider why these continued to happen and it this is a wider problem.
Knowledge information management (record keeping)
- The landlord did not provide full records of how it arranged all repair appointments with the resident. Landlords should maintain a robust record of contacts and repairs. This is because clear, accurate, and easily accessible records provide an audit trail and enhance its ability to identify and respond to problems when they arise.
Communication
- The landlord’s communication with the resident about appointments was poor. It did not show it had appropriately arranged all appointments with the resident.