Hexagon Housing Association Limited (202330469)

Decision
Case ID	202330469
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	Hexagon Housing Association Limited
Landlord type	Housing Association
Occupancy	Assured Tenancy
Date	28 April 2026

Background

1. The resident reported a strong smell of damp in December 2022, which the landlord inspected but could not establish the cause of. Following further reports in June 2023, it carried out a damp and mould survey and completed remedial repairs. In October 2023 the resident reported a leak from the radiator in her son’s bedroom. The landlord stopped the leak but there were delays in completing the subsequent repairs.

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s response to:
   1. The resident’s reports of leaks, damp and mould in the property.
   2. The complaint.

Our decision (determination)

3. There was maladministration by the landlord in its response to the resident’s report of leaks, damp and mould.
4. There was maladministration by the landlord in its response to the complaint.

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

Summary of reasons

5. The landlord acted appropriately by attending a radiator leak the same day and arranging a timely damp and mould inspection in June 2023. However, there were significant delays completing repairs. The landlord did not communicate effectively with the resident, coordinate the works, or maintain oversight. There were also gaps in the landlord’s repairs log, which likely contributed to the delays and raises concerns about its record keeping. Its failings caused significant inconvenience to the resident as she repeatedly chased progress. The landlord’s compensation offer in April 2024 was insufficient given the circumstances of the case.
6. The landlord did not respond to the resident’s complaint in line with its complaint policy. It failed to respond to her July 2023 complaint and then delayed responding to her subsequent complaint. The landlord’s compensation offer was insufficient given the circumstances of the case.

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.

Order	What the landlord must do	Due date
1	Apology order The landlord must apologise in writing to the resident for the failures identified in this report. The landlord must ensure: The apology is specific to the failures identified in this decision, meaningful and empathetic. It has due regard to our apologies guidance.	No later than 26 May 2026
2	Compensation order The landlord must pay the resident £775 compensation. This is inclusive of the compensation it offered during the complaints process, and the landlord should deduct any amount it has already paid. The award is as follows: £600 for the inconvenience caused by its response to her reports of leaks, damp and mould. £175 for the inconvenience caused by its complaint handling. The landlord must pay this directly to the resident by the due date. The landlord must provide documentary evidence of payment by the due date.	No later than 26 May 2026

 

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
July 2023	The resident complained to the landlord about repairs in her property. Neither party provided us with a copy of the complaint.
11 October 2023	The resident complained to the landlord about its handling of the repairs following a leak, which also caused damp and mould in her property.
12 January 2024	The landlord issued its stage 1 response. It said: It completed works on 28 August 2023 to address damp and mould. The resident reported a leak on 10 October 2023, which it repaired on 23 October 2023. It replastered the kitchen radiator area on 17 November 2023 and completed painting on 23 November 2023. It inspected the rotten floorboards on 13 November 2023, but delayed repairs until reinforcing the wall and replacing the radiator. It completed this work on 12 January 2024. It would reinspect the floorboard and complete the outstanding repairs. It apologised for repair delays and offered £500 compensation to reflect the impact on the resident, plus £50 for the delay in responding to the complaint.
6 February 2024	The resident escalated her complaint. She said: The landlord had not fully addressed her complaint. The leak was in her son’s bedroom, not the kitchen, and he had been unable to sleep there since October. The landlord delayed identifying the radiator leak and completing the repairs and did not inspect to approve removal of the rotten flooring, as promised. She asked the landlord to review its compensation offer, as the stage 1 amount did not reflect the impact on her family.
5 April 2024	The landlord provided its stage 2 response. It said: It completed the repairs and would contact the resident to confirm she was satisfied with the work. Its £500 compensation offer at stage 1 adequately reflected the impact of its handling of the repairs and it would not increase the amount. It acknowledged further delays in complaint handling and offered an additional £50, increasing its total complaint handling compensation to £100.
Referral to the Ombudsman	The resident referred her complaint to us because she was unhappy with the landlord’s response. In April 2026 she informed us that she had pursued a disrepair claim, which the landlord settled before court proceedings. It completed the outstanding repairs and paid her £2,000 compensation in November 2024.

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.

Complaint	The resident’s reports of leaks, damp and mould in the property.
Finding	Maladministration

What we did not investigate

7. The resident made a disrepair claim after exhausting the landlord’s internal complaints process, which it settled in November 2024. The claim included damaged floorboards, window repairs, and further damp and mould. We have not been provided with a breakdown of that £2,000 settlement. We assume though that it at least partly included repairs delays that occurred after April 2024. We are unable to assess matters that have not been considered through a landlord’s complaints process. Our investigation therefore considers events up to the end of the complaints process in April 2024 only and whether the landlord offered sufficient redress up to that point.

What we investigated

Reports of the radiator leak

8. The resident said the landlord inspected her boiler in April 2023 after a drop in pressure suggested a possible leak. The landlord could not find a leak and advised her to top up the pressure. There was no record of this visit in the landlord’s repairs log, which raises concerns about its record keeping. The landlord did not dispute the resident’s account, so it is reasonable to conclude the inspection occurred. However, the landlord did not monitor the issue or carry out further investigations, missing an opportunity to identify the leak sooner.
9. The resident noticed the laminate flooring coming up in her son’s bedroom and, after removing it, identified the radiator leak. She reported the leak to the landlord on 10 October 2023. The landlord attended on the same day and contained the leak. This was reasonable and line with its repairs policy to attend emergency repairs within 24 hours.
10. The landlord correctly acknowledged that there were delays in completing the repairs. Although it fixed the leak in October 2023, there were then significant delays in repairing the radiator wall, hanging a new radiator, repairing floorboards and replacing flooring.
11. It took several visits to repair the wall behind the radiator. The landlord replastered and painted the wall in November 2023. However, it returned to reinforce the wall in January 2024, after the contractor reported that it needed this prior to hanging the radiator. It completed further plastering and painting in March 2024. It then raised another repair on 17 April 2024 to make good the wall behind the radiator, which it completed on 20 May 2024. This was 7 months after the radiator leak was stopped and significantly exceeded the 28-day repair timeframe described in its repairs policy.
12. Furthermore, on 16 October 2023, the resident said the rotten floorboards needed replacing. She reported this again in January 2024. In its stage 1 response, the landlord said that it would inspect the floorboard, but 25 days later the resident said the landlord had failed to inspect as promised. This was unreasonable. Following its complaint response, the landlord should have promptly inspected the floorboard as promised.
13. The landlord said its contractor renewed the floorboards in February 2024, nearly 4 months after the resident’s report, exceeding its 28‑day repairs policy. In her disrepair claim, the resident said the landlord replaced the flooring in February 2024 but did not repair the damaged floorboards beneath, despite repeated reports. The landlord did not explain this omission, which was unreasonable and delayed full resolution. We understand the landlord resolved this as part of the disrepair claim (which is not part of this investigation).
14. The evidence also shows that for the duration of the repairs, the landlord failed to adequately communicate with the resident. It did not show that it provided a schedule of work with completion dates or kept her informed of delays. Instead, the resident had to chase the landlord to authorise repairs and to seek updates, which was unreasonable and caused her significant inconvenience.
15. For example, in November 2023, the resident contacted the landlord several times chasing authorisation for the contractor to proceed with plastering the wall and repairing the flooring. We understand the landlord appointed contractors to complete the repairs but it was responsible to ensure adequate oversight of the repairs and effective communication with all parties. Its lack of oversight caused avoidable delays and inconvenience to the resident.
16. Furthermore, in November 2023 and January 2024, the resident asked the landlord to explain why it reversed its decision to replace the radiator. The landlord did not respond to her queries or explain its decision, which was unreasonable. On 12 February 2024 the contractor told the landlord it could not rehang the existing radiator because it was leaking. Although the landlord replaced the radiator on 4 March 2024, its poor communication and oversight caused avoidable delays and inconvenience.
17. In its complaint responses, the landlord did not adequately explain the reasons for the return visits, the delays between visits or the delays in completing the repairs. The significant delays in completing the works were unreasonable and caused inconvenience. The resident had to repeatedly contact the landlord about the repairs, and her teenage son slept in the living room until repairs were finished.
18. In addition, gaps in the landlord’s repairs log raises concerns about its record keeping. The log does not show details of the repairs or the contractors’ actions. It also does not show the inspections carried out at the property or their outcomes. The landlord should keep full records of all repairs, including details of the work carried out. Its failure to do so likely contributed to its poor oversight of the repairs and the delays.

Reports of damp and mould

19. The resident reported damp and mould on 16 January 2023, and the landlord arranged an appointment for 25 January 2023, and closed the job the following day. This met the 28-day timescale set out in its repairs policy. However, the repairs log did not record what actions the landlord took or the outcome of the inspection. This raises concerns about the landlord’s record keeping and its ability to maintain a clear audit trail of repairs and inspections.
20. In February 2023 the resident reported a roof leak and blocked gutters, which she believed caused damp in the property. The landlord’s records show it completed the repairs around 10 months later without explaining the delay or showing that it kept her informed. This was not in line with its repairs policy, which requires that it keeps residents updated and completes such repairs within 28 days.
21. The landlord completed a damp and mould survey in the property within a week of the resident again reporting a problem in June 2023. This was reasonable and showed that it acted with a sense of urgency.
22. The surveyor recommended upgrading ventilation in the bathroom and kitchen and identified a suspected bath leak. The landlord repaired the bath leak within 24 days, which was reasonable, but did not complete the ventilation works until 56 days later. It did not explain the delay or keep the resident informed, which was not in line with its repairs and damp and mould policies.
23. The landlord did not show it monitored whether remedial works resolved damp and mould, as required by its damp and mould policy. Although it completed the repairs recommended by its surveyor in August 2023, it did not contact the resident 6 months later. This was a missed opportunity to identify ongoing issues. The landlord also failed to recognise this omission in its stage 2 response, causing inconvenience to the resident and leading her to pursue a disrepair claim.
24. We understand that in January and March 2024, as a resolution to her complaint, the resident asked the landlord to install an extractor fan in the living area. Although the surveyor did not recommend this work, the landlord should have responded to the request. There is no evidence it addressed this in either complaint responses.
25. After escalating her complaint, the resident sought our support to get a response. We informed the landlord that her complaint included its handling of condensation on the kitchen wall and damp and mould in her property. The landlord did not address these issues in its response or inform her whether she needed to raise a new stage 1 complaint. The landlord’s lack of response and clarity was unreasonable, caused inconvenience, and contributed to the resident approaching us and making a disrepair claim.

Summary

26. The resident has informed us that, following her disrepair claim, the landlord completed the required repairs. Neither party provided evidence of when the landlord fully resolved the issues and exactly what repairs were done after April 2024.
27. There were significant delays in completing repairs between early 2023 and April 2024, which the landlord acknowledged during the complaint process. However, it did not adequately recognise that poor oversight and communication contributed to the delays.
28. The landlord offered £500 compensation to reflect the impact of its failings on the resident. However, there were further delays in completing repairs, which the landlord did not acknowledge in its stage 2 response. Given the delays extended for a period of more than 12 months and the inconvenience caused to the household in this period, we have ordered a further £100 compensation in line with our compensation guidance for failings that had a significant impact on a resident.

Complaint	The handling of the complaint
Finding	Maladministration

29. The landlord has a 2-stage complaint process, and its complaint policy is in line with the Complaint Handling Code (the Code). It aims to acknowledge complaints at both stages within 5 working days. It says the resident should then receive formal responses to stage 1 complaints within 10 working days and stage 2 complaints within 20 working days of the complaint acknowledgement. If it needs longer to respond to a complaint, it will inform the resident and agree a new timeframe. In such cases, it would explain the reasons for the delay.
30. From its own admission, the landlord did not acknowledge or respond to the resident’s July 2023 complaint, which was unreasonable. This caused inconvenience as the resident had to raise the complaint again in October 2023.
31. The landlord acknowledged the stage 1 complaint within policy timescales but failed to respond on time. It issued the response 49 days late and only after our intervention. This was unreasonable and caused inconvenience as the resident had to seek our support.
32. The landlord acknowledged the resident’s stage 2 complaint 22 days outside its published timeframe. It then issued the stage 2 response 5 days late, repeating earlier failings. Although brief, the delay caused inconvenience as the resident again needed to contact us.
33. The landlord’s complaint handling failures caused inconvenience as the resident needed support at both complaint stages to get a response to her complaint. The delays also prevented timely access to our service as it took around 8 months to complete the complaints process.
34. During the complaints process, the landlord acknowledged failings in its complaint handling and offered the resident £100 compensation to recognise the impact on her. However, this offer was insufficient. It did not adequately reflect the prolonged delay. In accordance with our compensation guidance for complaint handling failings of several months that had a significant impact, we therefore order the landlord to pay the resident an additional £75 compensation.

Learning

Complaint handling

35. Effective complaint handling requires prompt recognition and action in line with policy and the Code. The landlord must log, track and respond to complaints correctly to ensure accountability, timely resolution and regulatory compliance. All staff should understand and apply the complaint policy consistently to build trust with residents and show that the landlord takes concerns seriously.

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

36. When appointing external contractors, the landlord should record the repairs and the contractor’s actions on its repair logs, including details of the job and completion dates. The landlord should also keep a record of inspections and their outcomes. This allows it to maintain accurate audit trails and keep suitable oversight of repairs.

Communication

37. Clear and timely communication is essential when managing repairs. The landlord must give regular updates, so the resident does not need to chase for information. When booking work, it should confirm the scope of repairs with contractors and share the schedule of works with the resident. Good practice includes explaining what work will take place and when. Consistent communication builds trust and prevents unnecessary inconvenience. The landlord should ensure it is able to deliver this kind of service.