Hyde Housing Association Limited (202409621)

Decision
Case ID	202409621
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	Hyde Housing Association Limited
Landlord type	Housing Association
Occupancy	Assured Tenancy
Date	22 December 2025

Background

1. The resident complained, with the help of a representative, about communication with the landlord and its contractor while there were outstanding boiler repairs. The landlord apologised and offered compensation. The resident said the information provided in the landlord’s response was incorrect.

What the complaint is about

2. The landlord’s communication about repairs to the communal heating and hot water system.
3. The landlord’s handling of the complaint.

Our decision (determination)

4. There was maladministration regarding:
   1. The landlord’s communication about repairs to the communal heating and hot water system.
   2. The landlord’s handling of the complaint.

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

Summary of reasons

The landlord’s communication about repairs to the communal heating and hot water system

5. The contractor’s communication was poor while the repairs were outstanding and the landlord failed to monitor this or take any action to resolve it. Although the repairs were attended, it should have kept the resident up to date throughout the process. Poor record keeping and communication meant he had to chase progress while experiencing ongoing issues.

The associated complaint

6. The landlord did not acknowledge the resident’s stage 1 complaint. It did not address concerns about poor communication in its stage 1 response. It delayed its stage 2 response. It did not keep the resident updated about the delay.

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 09 February 2026
2	Compensation order The landlord must pay the resident £250 made up as follows: £100 for inconvenience, time and trouble caused by its poor communication. £150 for time and trouble caused by its complaint handling. This must be paid directly to the resident by the due date. The landlord must provide documentary evidence of payment by the due date. The landlord may deduct from the total figure any payments it has already paid.	No later than 09 February 2026

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
29 November 2023	The landlord’s contractor told the resident the boiler needed a new pump and that the heating and hot water would be temperamental until it was fitted. The resident contacted the landlord to discuss the issue. He asked when the pump would be replaced.
11 January 2024 to 1 March 2024	The resident continued to chase for a reply about the pump replacement. He also reported issues with the heating and hot water during this time. Although the landlord sent contractors to respond to the reports, it did not speak to him directly.
2 March 2024	The resident complained to the landlord about a lack of     communication during the heating and hot water repairs.
11 March 2024	The landlord’s stage 1 response did not address concerns about the communication. The response acknowledged the delay and confirmed that the repair has been completed.   The landlord apologised for the delay and offered compensation of £50 for its complaint handling.
16 July 2024	The landlord responded at stage 2 of its complaints process. It apologised for the delay in providing the stage 2 response. It provided a chronology of repairs attended between 29 November 2023 to February 2024. The landlord apologised for the poor communication. The landlord offered further compensation of £100 made up of: £50 for complaint handling. £50 for poor communication.
Referral to the Ombudsman	The resident said he was dissatisfied with the landlord’s stage 2 response. He said it did not include his original request about when the pump would be fitted.

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 has happened or comment on all the information we have reviewed. We have only included the key information that forms the basis of our decision of whether the landlord is responsible for maladministration.

Complaint	The landlord’s communication about repairs to the communal heating and hot water system.
Finding	Maladministration

7. On 29 November 2023, the resident contacted the landlord to report his heating was not working. He said the heating and hot water worked before its contractor’s visit but stopped after. The landlord asked its contractor to contact him, but it failed to. Instead, the contractor asked that he call them directly about any remaining issues. This was an unnecessary and complicated approach. It would have been reasonable for the contractor to contact him directly. This approach inconvenienced the resident. As the landlord is responsible for its contractor’s actions it should have managed communication better.
8. The resident contacted the landlord on 11 January 2024 to request a response and to report the heating was not working. The landlord told its contractor to contact the resident. The contractor did not contact him until 22 January 2024, when it left a voicemail confirming an appointment date. This was a failing.
9. The resident contacted the landlord again after the heating and hot water had stopped working between 19 and 23 February 2024. The contractor continued to attend repairs to the heating and hot water. The landlord’s records do not show whether the resident received regular updates. Records show one email from the contractor about providing temporary heaters. The contractor completed the repair on 6 March 2024. We do not know whether the resident was updated on the outcome of the repair.
10. The contractor’s communication was poor during the repair. Better communication could have reduced delays and the need to chase updates. It would have also given her clear information. The landlord failed to manage its contractor’s communication. It did not address communication in its stage 1 response. In its stage 2 response the landlord apologised for poor communication.
11. Overall, there was maladministration which caused inconvenience, time and trouble for the resident in trying to get the issues resolved. To reflect the impact, an order has been made that the landlord pay £100 compensation to him. This is inclusive of the £50 offered for poor communication.

Complaint	The handling of the complaint
Finding	Maladministration

12. The landlord has a 2-stage complaints process. It says it will acknowledge complaints within 5 working days. It will issue a stage 1 response within 10 working days and a stage 2 response within 20 working days.
13. The landlord did not acknowledge the complaint in line with its complaints policy or the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code (the Code). If it had acknowledged the complaint, this would have allowed the resident to explain that it had not understood the complaint. The landlord issued its stage 1 response within its timescale. The stage 1 response did not address the complaint element regarding poor communication. This was a significant failing under the Code.
14. The landlord did not provide a copy of the resident’s escalation request. The resident told us he responded straight away and chased the escalation on 14 March 2024. The landlord provided its stage 2 response on 16 July 2024, exceeding its 20-day timeframe. This was a failing as it did not comply with its complaints policy or the Code.
15. The landlord addressed communication in its stage 2 response. It said it had failed to escalate the resident’s complaint as it should have and apologised for the delay and poor communication. The landlord offered £50 for complaint handling failings, in line with its compensation procedure.
16. There was maladministration, which has caused time and trouble for the resident. To reflect the impact an order has been made that it pay £150 compensation to him, which is in line with our guidance on remedies. This amount is inclusive of the £100 offered within the complaints process.

Learning

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

17. The landlord’s record keeping could have been better. The records do not confirm when the resident escalated the complaint. No copy of the escalation request was provided by the landlord.
18. The repairs history the landlord provided does not include details of the repair raised. The records suggest the landlord relied on emails with the contractor instead. An adequate repairs log, updated by contractors, could have identified the issue sooner. Good record-keeping is essential for transparency, accountability, and assessing whether actions were reasonable.

Communication

19. The landlord and its contractor did not communicate well with the resident. The contractor did not contact the resident as requested or update him. The landlord’s communication during the complaint process was poor. It was inconvenient for the resident to send regular chasers for updates.