London & Quadrant Housing Trust (202418050)

Background

1. The resident lives in a top-floor flat. The building roof started leaking in April 2023. The resident was aware of the leak when he purchased the lease in October 2023. The resident complained because he did not get repair updates and the landlord had not fixed the roof.

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s:
   1. Handling of roof repairs.
   2. Complaint handling.

Our decision (determination)

3. There was:
   1. Maladministration in the landlord’s handling of roof repairs.
   2. Reasonable redress in the landlord’s complaint handling.

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

Summary of reasons

The landlord’s handling of roof repairs

4. The landlord’s communication and recordkeeping were inadequate. In its stage 2 response it acknowledged repair delays. It promised to update the resident and complete the repair soon. The landlord did not send the update and took 14 months to complete the repair.

The landlord’s complaint handling

5. The landlord’s stage 1 response did not address all the issues the resident raised. It took too long to send its stage 2 response. The landlord acknowledged the failings, apologised and awarded compensation.

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.

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.

What we have not considered

6. The resident said he knew about the roof repairs when he purchased the lease. He said as part of the conditions of sale, £5000 was set aside to cover the repairs. The resident said this money was available for 2 years. He said he lost the money because the repair was not done in time. This investigation has not considered whether the landlord was responsible for this loss. This is because any assessment of liability would be for a court to consider.

What we have considered

7. The roof leak was reported in April 2023. The resident purchased the lease in October 2023. We can only consider complaints where there is a landlord/tenant relationship. This investigation has looked at the period from October 2023 until the landlord’s stage 2 response on 4 October 2024. We have also considered the landlord’s handling of the actions it said it would do in its stage 2 response.
8. The resident said he had contacted the landlord multiple times about the repair, but it did not respond. The landlord has not sent us full customer contact or repair records. The landlord said it started getting quotes for the section 20 process (the legal requirement for landlords to consult leaseholders on proposed repair costs) in June 2023. It has not sent us records of the section 20 consultation.
9. In its stage 1 response the landlord apologised for the repair delay. It said it had asked the roofing team for an update and would send this to the resident. The landlord did not update the resident.
10. In May and June 2024, the resident contacted the landlord multiple times. He said the leak was damaging his property and sent pictures. The landlord said it was getting more repair quotes and would update residents. The resident asked for a timeline for the consultation. The landlord did not respond.
11. In August and September 2024, the resident chased the landlord for updates. He said the leak was causing substantial damage, and the repair was urgent.
12. In its stage 2 response the landlord said it got repair quotes in July, August and November 2023. The landlord said in August 2024 it asked for 3 new quotes. It did not explain what happened between November 2023 and August 2024.
13. The landlord said repair work would begin “shortly after” it got the latest quotes. It apologised and awarded £240 compensation. It said it would send an update by 9 October 2024. The landlord did not update the resident.
14. The resident asked multiple times for updates. In January 2025 he told the landlord there was water coming down the walls in his flat. He said his partner was asthmatic and there was black mould in the property. The landlord said a contractor would inspect and provide a quote. The resident asked if the section 20 process had started. The landlord did not respond. The landlord did the roof repairs in December 2025.
15. Where the landlord admitted failings, we consider whether the redress it offered put things right and resolved the resident’s complaint satisfactorily in the circumstances. We take into account whether the landlord’s offer of redress was in line with our dispute resolution principles; be fair, put things right and learn from outcomes.
16. The landlord acknowledged the repair delay. It promised to send the resident updates but failed to do so. The landlord said it would repair the roof “soon” but took 14 months to do the work. The landlord awarded £240 compensation, but this does not reflect the scale of the distress and inconvenience caused to the resident. For these reasons we have found maladministration. We have ordered the landlord to apologise to the resident and pay £300 additional compensation. This is in accordance with our remedies guidance where there was a failure which adversely affected the resident.

17. The landlord has a 2-stage complaints policy. It says it will acknowledge a stage 1 complaint within 5 working days and provide its response within 10 working days of the acknowledgement. It says if additional time is needed to provide a response the landlord will agree this with the resident. At stage 2 it says it will respond within 20 working days. This is in line with our Complaint Handling Code (‘the Code’).
18. On 22 March 2024 the resident complained, and the landlord acknowledged his complaint.
19. The landlord sent its stage 1 response on 25 March 2024. This was within the timeframe in its policy.
20. The resident had complained about the landlord’s communication and the damage caused to his property. The landlord did not address these issues. The Code requires landlords to investigate all complaint issues.
21. In its response the landlord said it had asked its repairs team for an update. It said when it had this information it would update the resident. The Code requires landlords to provide a complaint response when the answer to the complaint is known. The landlord did not follow the Code.
22. On 29 April 2024 the resident escalated his complaint. The landlord acknowledged his escalation request on 8 May 2024.
23. On 5 August 2024 the resident contacted us because he had not got a stage 2 response. After we contacted the landlord, it sent its stage 2 response on 4 October 2024. This was 92 working days after the response time required by its complaints policy.
24. The landlord acknowledged its stage 1 response was inadequate. It apologised for the delay in sending its stage 2 response and awarded £290 compensation. This falls within the range in our remedies guidance where there was a failing that adversely effected the resident. We have therefore found reasonable redress in the landlord’s complaint handling.

Learning

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

25. The landlord did not send complete repair or customer contact records. The landlord should learn from this complaint to ensure the recordkeeping failings are not repeated.

Communication

26. The landlord did not respond to the resident’s queries. It did not explain the delays or provide an accurate timeline for the repair. The landlord should learn from this complaint and consider how it communicates with residents. It should ensure it provides timely, accurate and meaningful updates.