Karibu Community Homes Limited (202331222)

Decision
Case ID	202331222
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	Karibu Community Homes Limited
Landlord type	Housing Association
Occupancy	Assured Shorthold Tenancy
Date	27 October 2025

Background

1. The resident lives in a flat within a block. The resident has a winter garden (balcony) and said she experienced leaks coming into this area. 

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of leaks, damp, and mould.
3. We have also investigated the landlord’s complaint handling.

Our decision (determination)

4. There was maladministration in the landlord’s handling of leaks, damp, and mould.
5. There was no maladministration in the landlord’s complaint handling.

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

Summary of reasons

Handling of leaks, damp, and mould

6. The landlord did not take a proactive approach in 2023 to try and resolve the leaks, damp, and mould. Some of the repairs it completed had been delayed. Issues also persisted after its final response and it provided limited evidence, if any, on progress of necessary repairs to the resident’s winter balcony. It should have communicated more clearly and acted more promptly given the repair issues could have had on her.

Complaint handling

7. There were minor failings by the landlord which did not cause significant detriment to the resident.

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 24 November 2025
2	Compensation order The landlord must pay the resident an additional £ 300 to recognise the distress and inconvenience caused by its handling of leaks, damp, and mould. This is in addition to the compensation offered by the landlord during its internal complaints procedure.   This must be paid directly to the resident by the due date. The landlord must provide documentary evidence of compliance.	No later than 24 November 2025
3	Inspection order The landlord must contact the resident to arrange an inspection. It must take all reasonable steps to ensure the inspection is completed by the due date. The inspection must be completed by someone suitably qualified to complete an inspection of the type needed. If the landlord cannot gain access to complete the inspection, it must provide us with documentary evidence of its attempts to inspect the property no later than the due date.   What the inspection must achieve The landlord must ensure that the surveyor: Inspects the condition of the winter balcony of the property and produces a written report with photographs The survey report must set out: Whether the property is fit for human habitation and whether there are any hazards The most likely cause of any presence of damp and mould Whether the landlord is responsible to repair or resolve the issue together with reasons where it is not responsible A full scope of works to achieve a lasting and effective resolution to the issue (if the landlord is responsible) The likely timescales to commence and complete the work Whether temporary alternative accommodation is necessary either because of the condition of the property or during the works	No later than 22 December 2025

 

Recommendation

Our recommendations are not binding, and a landlord may decide not to follow them.

Our recommendations
The landlord should review the Ombudsman’s Spotlight report on Knowledge and Information Management published in May 2023.

 

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
7 July 2023	The resident raised her complaint on 7 July 2023. She said there was an unresolved leak affecting her balcony, and presence of mould in that area. The resident told the landlord she wanted compensation.
11 July 2023	The landlord acknowledged the resident’s complaint on 11 July 2023, it told her it aimed to respond in 10 working days.
Between 19 and 20 July 2023	The landlord spoke to the resident on 19 July 2023 and agreed to extend the complaint response to 3 August 2023. This was confirmed in writing on 20 July 2023.
3 August 2023	The landlord issued its stage 1 complaint response to the resident on 3 August 2023. The landlord: Apologised for the distress and inconvenience she had experienced. Awarded £100 in compensation for damages. Said its contractors would scope the work required on 9 August 2023 to resolve the water ingress. Said it would improve its service delivery from her feedback.
Between 3 August 2023 and 4 September 2023	The resident remained dissatisfied with the landlord’s response and escalated her complaint, but we do not know when.   The landlord completed a mould wash to the resident’s property on 14 August 2023. It repaired the ceiling panel of the winter garden on 25 August 2023 (first raised by it on 19 April 2023).    The landlord sent its stage 2 complaint response on 4 September 2023. The landlord:   Awarded an additional £500 in compensation to the resident for the distress and inconvenience caused. Confirmed it had assessed the work required and that she had agreed for the works to take place. It would contact her with dates for repair appointments. Reiterated that it had considered her feedback.
18 October 2023	The landlord’s records stated it had logged the repairs to the resident’s balcony on 18 October 2023 and which repairs it would undertake.
Referral to the Ombudsman	The resident referred her complaint to us on 5 December 2023. She was dissatisfied with the landlord’s response as the issues were unresolved. She told us she wanted further compensation as she was distressed and inconvenienced by not being able to use her balcony.   The landlord completed separate repairs to the structure of the building on 18 May 2024 and said it had stopped the leak.

 

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	Handling of leaks, damp, and mould
Finding	Maladministration

8. Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 the landlord is to keep the structure and exterior of the property in repair. This is echoed in the resident’s tenancy agreement.
9. The landlord also has responsibilities under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). Damp and mould growth are a potential hazard and therefore the landlord is required to consider this and if it requires remedying.
10. In the period we have investigated, the landlord was aware the resident had contacted the local council in January 2023 about ongoing damp and mould in her property. We have not been provided any risk assessment specific to the resident’s property from the landlord. It was unreasonable that it did not confirm its position on whether the property was habitable.
11. The landlord failed to complete repairs raised on 19 April 2023 to the ceiling of the winter balcony. This repair was completed 69 working days over its 20 working day target.
12. The landlord conducted repairs to the roof of the block by 27 June 2023 but this did not resolve the issue. The landlord waited until 14 August 2023 to conduct a mould wash in the resident’s property. This was because it wanted the property to be dry before it attempted a mould wash. However, it had not provided evidence as to any other steps it had proactively taken in the interim to remedy damp and mould growth in line with the HHSRS. This was unreasonable.
13. In the landlord’s final response it did not dispute that the resident experienced leaks, damp, and mould for a prolonged period. It also accepted that these issues were unresolved. While on 18 October 2023 it logged the agreed repairs on its system, no records were provided to us that evidenced it had completed any of these. There is also no evidence it monitored these repairs and kept the resident informed regarding progress. This demonstrated poor record keeping and poor communication by it.
14. We acknowledge the landlord conducted repairs to the roof of the block on 18 May 2024 and its records stated that the leak had stopped.
15. The £500 in compensation awarded to the resident in the landlord’s final response considered the distress and inconvenience up until that point. At that stage, the redress offered was in line with our remedies guidance. However, we have ordered the landlord to pay additional compensation as the resident continued to experience distress and inconvenience from September 2023 until May 2024.

Complaint	Complaint handling
Finding	No maladministration

16. The landlord acknowledged the resident’s complaint at stage 1 of its internal complaints procedure within its target timescales. It also appropriately extended the stage 1 complaint response and informed the resident why it needed more time.
17. We found the landlord did not use the correct resident’s name in its stage 1 complaint response, but it was sent to the correct address. This showed minor oversight in its knowledge and information management. If the resident believes there were any data breaches, she can potentially approach the Information Commissioner’s Office.
18. We have not been provided evidence of when the resident escalated her complaint which demonstrates poor record keeping by the landlord. Subsequently, it took the landlord 2 working days over its target to send its stage 2 complaint response. Overall, this would not have adversely affected the resident.

Learning

19. We acknowledge these repairs were complex. The landlord should ensure it maintains accurate records and knows its products, services, and residents well.

 

20. It was positive that the landlord informed the resident prior to its initial stage 1 complaint response deadline that it needed more time to respond and agreed an extension.

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

21. As above, the landlord’s repairs records were inadequate and repairs it committed to in its final response have remained open on its systems without any explanation provided to us.
22. The landlord also incorrectly addressed the resident by a different name its stage 1 complaint response and did not log when it received her complaint escalation request.

Communication

23. The landlord’s communication through its internal complaints procedure was good. In contrast, its communication was poor regarding what steps it would or would not take following its stage 2 complaint response.