London Borough of Hillingdon (202453498)

Decision
Case ID	202453498
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	London Borough of Hillingdon
Landlord type	Local Authority
Occupancy	Secure Tenancy
Date	20 October 2025

Background

1. The resident moved into the property, a one bedroom first floor flat, in 2021.

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s response to the resident’s:

1. Reports of damp and mould.
2. Associated complaint.

Our decision (determination)

3. We found:

1. Maladministration in the landlord’s response to reports of damp and mould.
2. No maladministration in the landlord’s response to the associated complaint.

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

Summary of reasons

Handling of damp and mould

5. The landlord did not remedy repairs that were causing damp and high humidity in line with its policy timeframes. Although it has acknowledged this failure, it has not provided appropriate remedy to recognise the impact caused to the resident.

Complaint handling

6. The landlord responded to the complaint in line with its policy and procedures.

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 17 November 2025
2	Compensation order The landlord must provide evidence that it has paid directly to the resident £500 (inclusive of the £50 previously awarded) to recognise the distress and inconvenience caused by its failures handling reports of damp and mould.	No later than 17 November 2025

 

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
28 January 2025	The resident complained the landlord delayed addressing her initial reports of a strong smell of mould by 7 to 8 months. She said she asked if the roof was the cause of this but was told it was not. She said subsequent ventilation measures were ineffective and a later inspection identified holes in the roof and a lack of insulation. She said despite 4 or 5 roof repairs the issue remained. She said, although both her and the landlord had re–decorated, stains and cracks had reappeared. She said there had been mould on her walls, furniture and clothes, and she asked for compensation for damage.
12 February 2025	The landlord issued a stage 1 response that said: It inspected following an initial report of damp and mould in February 2022. This found no visible signs of mould but the inspector acknowledged the resident’s stored baby clothes were damp and advised her how to prevent this. It had carried out ventilation improvements and roof repairs over the next 2 years but water ingress continued. A surveyor recommended additional work to the roof and interior in November 2024. The interior work was complete but minor roof repairs remained. Its contractor would update her. She should provide details of damage if she did not have home contents insurance and it would send these to its insurer, who would consider her claim. It apologised for delays identifying that the roof was the root cause (of any damp).
17 February 2025	The resident escalated her complaint, asking why the landlord installed ventilation and insulation if it disagreed there was damp and mould. She said a surveyor agreed the property smelled of damp and mould and humidity readings supported this. She was unhappy information was left out of the stage 1 response. She was initially happy with the repairs but cracks and stains had reappeared and the property still smelled of mould. Again, she asked for compensation for damaged items and said she had spent time and trouble progressing the issue over the last 3 years.
20 March 2025	The landlord issued a stage 2 response in which it: Acknowledged it did not carry out surveyor recommendations of November 2024 as soon as it should have. Did not disagree there was damp and mould and apologised for any misunderstanding in its stage 1 response. It detailed previous investigations that found high humidity. Confirmed remaining roof work was scheduled for 28 March 2025, after which the contractor would arrange internal repairs. Reiterated the resident could claim for damage through its insurance and attached another claim form. Agreed to clean the carpets of affected areas and pay £50 compensation.
Referral to the Ombudsman 31 March 2025	The resident brought her complaint to us and said: The issue had been ongoing from 2021 and was unresolved, despite many roof repairs. Her clothes smelled of damp and her bed was wet. She had sent a list of damaged items (to the landlord’s insurer) and asked the landlord to replace her carpets. The issue affected her physical and mental health and her 3-year-old had a chest infection every few weeks. She wanted the landlord to complete repairs and return the property to its original condition.
26 September 2025	The resident told us the property still smells of mould.

 

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 landlord’s handling of reports of damp and mould
Finding	Maladministration

 

7. The resident has complained of damp and mould since 2021. However, we have not seen evidence of a formal complaint exhausting the landlord’s complaints process until January 2025. In the interests of fairness, and taking into account the availability of evidence, this investigation is focused on events from February 2022, which were addressed in both stages of the complaint process.
8. The landlord aims to deal with non-urgent repairs (such as damp and mould) within 20 working days. It is positive it inspected the property within this timeframe following the resident’s reports of February 2022. While the inspector did not find visible signs of mould, her advice to the resident on the possible causes of condensation and potential solutions was appropriate. The landlord’s damp and mould policy says it will provide information and guidance on such issues. It was also positive that the inspector arranged ventilation improvements following this.
9. We understand why the landlord did not inspect the roof at that point. In the absence of any outstanding roof repairs it was appropriate for the landlord to see if the ventilation improvements resolved the issue before it undertook further investigations.
10. However, the resident reported a leak and water ingress in her front room, in addition to damp and mould, on 10 November 2022. The landlord then inspected within its policy timeframe. It found holes in the roof felt, inadequate insulation and missing cladding, letting in cold air and rainwater. Subsequent repairs were carried out within a reasonable timeframe and the landlord redecorated the front room to address any water marks.
11. However, the repairs did not resolve the issue and the resident again reported a strong smell of damp and mould shortly after. The landlord’s comprehensive repair records detail that it undertook extensive investigations and work following this. An inspection of 21 July 2023 again found no visible damp or mould but high humidity and the inspector believed outstanding roof repairs were contributing to the smell.
12. It is positive the landlord carried out further ventilation improvements following this. However, most of the subsequent roof and insulation repairs were ineffective, resulting in contractors reattending the same issues several times. Evidence suggests this was partly due to the quality of repairs, and the landlord remained responsible for remedying the damp and any delays.
13. The landlord had not fully repaired the roof and insulation at the time of its stage 2 response of 20 March 2025. This did not happen until June and July 2025. This was significantly outside the landlord’s repair policy timeframe for non-urgent repairs. It was also outside its 90-day repair policy for minor work that required more planning. It meant its plan to ‘make good’ the internal work was delayed.
14. However, the landlord has acknowledged significant delays since 2022 and apologised for these. Therefore, the question is whether it provided appropriate remedy that put right the detriment caused to the resident.
15. The resident has complained that damp and mould has affected her health and that of her child. We are not medical experts so cannot assess whether something caused an impact to health or not. She could seek independent advice regarding this or consider a claim through the landlord’s liability insurance or the courts. While we cannot determine impact on health, we have considered the impact of any failings by the landlord. This includes any distress and inconvenience caused to the resident.
16. The landlord’s complaint policy says claims for compensation that are covered by its insurance arrangements, should be dealt with by its insurers. As the resident claimed the landlord was liable for damage caused by its inaction, it was appropriate that it invited her to claim for this through its public liability insurance. The resident can pursue her request for replacement carpets through this route, should she remain unhappy with the landlord’s offer to clean them. We have seen that a claims adjuster was recently considering the claim.
17. However, the policy also says the landlord can award compensation for distress and inconvenience caused to the resident and for time and trouble pursuing a complaint. It says the amount paid would be based on what we would recommend in the circumstances.
18. The resident lived with damp for an unreasonable amount of time. She experienced significant inconvenience during the works. While it is positive the landlord arranged internal redecorations to address the damage caused by water ingress, the resident had to live with the disruption this caused. This could have been avoided if the landlord had carried out repairs correctly at the earliest opportunity.
19. Our remedies guidance suggests awards of between £100 and £600 for such situations, where there was a failure that adversely affected the resident with no permanent impact. The landlord’s award of £50 is not within this range and does not adequately recognise the distress and inconvenience caused. Nor does it reflect the time and trouble caused to the resident pursuing a remedy for the damp over a 3-year period. The landlord has missed an opportunity to put things right in line with our dispute resolution principles and therefore there has been maladministration in its handling of the reports.
20. We order the landlord to pay the resident £500 in recognition of these failures. We have not made an order for any follow up work as the landlord has provided evidence of an appointment of 9 October 2025 for further humidity investigations.

Complaint	The landlord’s handling of the associated complaint.
Finding	No maladministration

 

21. The landlord has a 2-stage complaint process. It aims to acknowledge both stages within 5 working days. It says the resident should then receive a formal response to stage 1 complaints within 10 working days and stage 2 complaints within 20 working days of the complaint acknowledgement. We have not seen whether the landlord acknowledged either of the resident’s complaints. However, it provided a formal response at both stages of the process within the timescales set out within its policy and our Complaint Handling Code. Therefore, we find no maladministration in the landlord’s overall handling of the associated complaint.

Learning

Communication

22. Records do not show if the landlord regularly updated the resident on the status of repairs. Our spotlight report on repairs and maintenance explains that failures can be avoided when landlord’s:

• Let residents know what to expect regarding repairs and maintenance and provide a clear schedule for repair visits.
• Gather feedback from residents and conduct inspections to ensure the work is satisfactory.