A2Dominion Housing Group Limited (202401106)

Background

1. The resident reported bathroom repairs to the landlord on 14 November 2023. Two months later, he reported additional bathroom repairs. He complained the landlord had not completed the repairs.

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s response to the resident’s:
   1. Reports of repairs in the bathroom.
   2. We have also investigated the landlord’s complaint handling.

Our decision (determination)

3. We have found:
   1. Service failure in the landlord’s response to the reports of bathroom repairs.
   2. No maladministration in the landlord’s complaint handling.

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

Summary of reasons

The response to the report of bathroom repairs

4. The landlord did not meet the repair timescales set out in its repair policy when responding to the resident’s reports about the bathroom. In its final complaint response, it set a target date for completing the repairs and offered compensation for the delays up to that point. It did not meet its target date and has not offered further compensation for the additional delay.

The complaint handling

5. The landlord complied with its complaint policy and our Complaint Handling Code (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.

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 resident reported on 14 November 2023 that the wash hand basin and bath panel needed to be replaced. On 8 January 2024 he reported that the tiles were coming off the walls causing damage to the floor. The resident complained because the landlord had not completed the repairs. There is no evidence the landlord recorded the repair he reported or that it contacted the resident. This was a record keeping failure.
7. The landlord partially upheld the complaint. It accepted it should have carried out an inspection sooner and its communication had been poor. It offered £150 compensation and said it would complete the repairs by 29 March 2024.
8. The resident escalated the complaint on 23 February 2024, stating the wrong contractor had attended. The landlord’s stage 2 response on 28 March 2024 did not address this, but it accepted it should have completed the repairs within 20 working days. It made 3 new repair appointments during March and April 2024 and set a revised repair completion date of 19 April 2024.It increased its total compensation offer to £350 for the repair issue.
9. The landlord’s apology, compensation offer, and proposed actions may have represented reasonable redress had it completed the actions in line with its promise. However, the evidence shows it did not complete the repairs until August 2024, several months later. The resident would likely have felt frustrated and ignored by the landlord. Due to these further delays, the landlord’s offer of £350 was not proportionate or in line with its own compensation policy.
10. In summary, we find service failure. The landlord did not complete the repairs for several months after the date it committed to in its final complaint response and did not review its compensation offer to reflect the additional delays. We have therefore ordered the landlord to pay £500 compensation which includes the compensation previously offered in its final complaint response. This is a fair and appropriate amount, which is in line with our remedies guidance. This sum recognises the likely distress and inconvenience caused to the resident by the landlord’s delay in completing the bathroom repairs and for its poor communication with him.

11. The landlord’s complaint policy at the time of the complaint complies with the definition of a complaint in the Code (April 2024). The timescales in the landlord’s complaint procedure complied with the Code.
12. There is no evidence the landlord sent a stage 1 acknowledgement. However, it issued its response within 4 working days. This was reasonable because its response was well within its policy timescale. There is no evidence of any detriment to the resident because of a lack of the landlord’s acknowledgement.
13. The landlord acknowledged the escalation request 2 working days outside of its policy timescale. However, it issued the stage 2 response within its policy timescales. As it provided its response promptly, there was no impact on the resident.
14. In summary we find no maladministration. Although the acknowledgements were not exactly in line with its policy, there was no overall delay to the formal responses at both stages of the internal complaint procedure. There was also no detriment to the resident. The landlord’s complaint handling was therefore reasonable.

Learning

15. The landlord should ensure the appointments it makes are attended as planned, and that its internal teams communicate effectively to avoid missed or incorrectly allocated appointments.

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

16. The landlord should ensure it provides all information requested during an investigation. We expect landlords to keep a robust record of contacts, repairs and complaints. This is because clear, accurate, and easily accessible records provide an audit trail and enhance landlords’ ability to identify and respond to problems when they arise. Failure to do so can result in landlords not taking appropriate and timely action, missing opportunities to identify that actions were wrong or inadequate, and contributing to inadequate communication and redress.

Communication

17. The landlord should keep residents informed of any delays. There was little evidence to show it kept the resident updated about its actions or about missed appointments.As outlined in the Ombudsman’s spotlight report on repairs complaints, we expect landlords to complete repairs within a reasonable time. What is reasonable will depend on the circumstances and the nature of the repair. Where there is a delay in completing repairs, we expect landlords to be proactive in:

• communicating the cause of delays to residents
• explaining to residents what it intends to do about the delays
• identifying what it can do to mitigate the impact of delays on residents