Paradigm Housing Group Limited (202423484)

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Decision

Case ID

202423484

Decision type

Investigation

Landlord

Paradigm Housing Group Limited

Landlord type

Housing Association

Occupancy

Shared Ownership

Date

2 March 2026

Background

  1. The resident received a rent change letter in May 2024 and queried a grounds maintenance fee. The landlord investigated and found the fee had been applied in error. It refunded the resident and offered £100 compensation. The resident was unhappy with the level of compensation and referred the complaint to us.

What the complaint is about

  1. The complaint is about the landlord’s response to a query about a grounds maintenance fee.

Our decision (determination)

  1. We found there was reasonable redress in the landlord’s response to a query about a grounds maintenance fee.

Reasons

  1. On 20 May 2024 the resident contacted the landlord to query a grounds maintenance fee. The landlord said its Service Charge team would respond, but it did not. This was unreasonable and caused the resident inconvenience.
  2. Because he received no response, the resident raised a formal complaint on 22 July 2024. He said he was being charged for grounds maintenance even though he lived in a house and did not receive this service.
  3. On 25 July 2024 during the complaint investigation, the landlord’s Service Charge team confirmed the grounds maintenance fee had been applied in error. It refunded all affected periods, totalling £134.99, and confirmed the charge would not be applied again.
  4. On 6 September 2024 the landlord issued its stage 2 response. It said it had spoken with the resident on 14 August 2024 and understood that his main concern was the principle of the charge being taken over many years, not the refund amount. Also that the compensation figure offered at stage 1 of its process (£50) was too low. The landlord accepted that communication from the Service Charge team had been below standard and that the fee should not have been charged. After reviewing its Remedies and Compensation Policy, it increased its offer to £100.
  5. After its initial communication failure, the landlord identified the error, stopped the incorrect charge, and refunded the full amount. This resolved the main issue. It also offered £100 for the inconvenience caused by the 2‑month delay in responding to the resident’s query. This is within the landlord’s policy range for low‑impact, short‑term service failures (£25 to £250). Given the circumstances, the landlord’s offer was fair. The delay was short and did not affect the overall outcome, as the resident received a full refund.

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.

Recommendations

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

Our recommendations

If it has not done so already the landlord should contact the resident and pay the £100 compensation offered in its stage 2 complaint response.