Citizen Housing Group Limited (202334051)

Background

1. The property is a one-bedroom second-floor flat that the resident has occupied since 2012. The complaint relates to the resident’s reports regarding the communal lighting and his associated health and safety concerns.

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s:
   1. Concerns regarding the communal lighting.
   2. Complaint.

Our decision (determination)

3. We have found that there was:
   1. Service failure in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s concerns regarding the communal lighting.
   2. No maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s complaint.

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

Summary of reasons

Concerns regarding the communal lighting

4. Although the landlord attempted to address the issue and met repair timescales, its delays in identifying the cause and inconsistent communication meant its response was not fully proportionate to the concerns raised.

Complaint handling

5. The landlord appropriately responded to the resident’s complaint in line with the timescales set out in its policy.

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.

6. The landlord’s repair policy states that emergency repairs will be attended within 24 hours, while its website says standard repairs will be carried out within 25 working days.
7. Records from 4 September 2023 show the landlord liaised internally regarding the resident’s complaint, confirming some lights were working and that different floors were on different circuits or timers. Further checks and updates were requested, with a new emergency job raised after the resident said the lights were still out. Repair logs from 14 and 15 September 2023 show an engineer attended, confirmed most lights were working, and reset a tripped breaker, though some lights on the ground floor were still out.
8. On 4 October 2023 the landlord raised another repair for the first-floor stairwell lights following further reports from the resident. Internal communication shows the landlord acknowledged multiple reports by the resident, and his concerns about the first‑floor timer‑controlled lights failing to come on, despite previous visits where engineers reported that the lights were working. A further appointment was arranged for 9 October 2023, with a request for a detailed report. The landlord also asked the neighbourhood officer to check the lighting due to repeated disputes. On 11 October 2023, a contractor rewired 4 lights to be permanently on, with others remaining on a night time timer. On 24 October 2023, the landlord logged additional reports of various communal lights not working across several floors.
9. The landlord’s actions in responding to the reports about communal lighting were reasonable but ultimately fell short of what would be expected under the circumstances. Although the landlord attended repairs within the stated emergency and routine timeframes, and arranged multiple contractor visits, these actions did not result in identifying or resolving the underlying fault for a prolonged period. A more coordinated and/or proactive approach may have resulted in the issue being resolved more quickly.
10. The landlord made several attempts to diagnose the issue, including repeated contractor attendance, raising new repair orders, and involving a neighbourhood officer. These steps demonstrated that the landlord was aware of the ongoing reports and attempted to address them. The eventual decision to adjust the wiring and make certain lights permanently live also showed an effort to provide a lasting solution.
11. However, despite these actions, the landlord did not effectively identify the recurring problem for over 2 months. Contractors repeatedly advised that the lights were working, but did not consider that the issue occurred during hours of darkness. This failure to replicate or investigate the fault at the relevant time resulted in avoidable delays and repeated failed visits. The resident was left to report the same issue multiple times.
12. Communication from the landlord was also insufficient. The explanations provided were inconsistent, particularly regarding the use of timers and the electrical circuit differences between floors. The landlord did not clearly explain why the first-floor lighting operated differently, nor did it respond adequately to the resident’s concerns about health and safety. Requests for clarification and updates were not consistently addressed, and no repair schedule was provided.
13. In addition, the number of repeat visits suggests shortcomings in the landlord’s inspection and record keeping processes. The issue remained unresolved throughout August, September, and October 2023, and was only properly corrected after continued pressure from the resident. The final resolution of restoring the lights to a 24-hour cycle indicated that earlier visits had not adequately assessed the problem.
14. Overall, the landlord made evidenced attempts to address the problem and met the required repair timescales. However, its failure to promptly identify the underlying cause and provide the resident with consistent communication meant that its overall response fell short of the level of service the resident was entitled to expect.

15. The landlord operates a 2-stage complaint process. It acknowledges complaints within 5 working days. It responds to stage 1 and 2 complaints within 10 and 20 working days respectively. This is compliant with our Complaint Handling Code (‘the Code’).
16. The resident raised a formal complaint on 30 August 2023. The landlord acknowledged the complaint within 3 working days, in line with its policy. It then issued its stage 1 response on 18 September 2023, which was within the required 10-working‑day timescale set out in the policy.
17. The resident requested that his complaint be escalated to stage 2 on 1 October 2023, and the landlord acknowledged this within 2 working days, again in accordance with its policy. The landlord then issued its stage 2 response on 1 November 2023, which was within the 20-working‑day timescale required by the policy.
18. In summary, the landlord met the complaint handling timescales set out in its policy at both stages of the process, acknowledging and responding within the required periods. The stage 1 response was satisfactory overall; however, the stage 2 response provided a clearer and more detailed explanation, offering a fuller understanding of the issues raised.

Learning

19. Our investigation found the following points of learning for the landlord:

Knowledge and information management (record keeping)

20. Our spotlight report on repairs and maintenance explains that failures can be avoided when landlords:
    1. Clearly explain to residents what they can expect during the repairs process, including providing a reliable schedule for appointments.
    2. Maintain regular and proactive communication, offering reassurance that the issue is being progressed, even when there are no new developments to report.
21. In this case, earlier and more accurate diagnosis of the repair issue, together with improved coordination between internal teams and contractors, would likely have reduced the length of time the resident experienced the problem. Strengthening communication and record keeping would also support a more consistent and effective repair service.

Communication

22. While the landlord met complaint response timescales and actively sort to resolve the issue, there were communication issues during the repair process. Strengthening communication – particularly around updates, explanations of decisions, and managing expectations – would support a more transparent and customer‑focused service. The landlord may also wish to utilise the Housing Ombudsman’s Centre for Learning to assist with this.