London Borough of Islington (202325023)

Background

1. The resident lives in a first-floor flat, which he moved into in 2018. On 30 August 2023 the resident reported a roof leak. The landlord resolved the leak and repaired the roof in January 2024.

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of roof repairs following a leak.
3. We have also investigated the landlord’s complaint handling.

Our decision (determination)

4. The landlord offered reasonable redress for its handling of roof repairs following a leak.
5. There was no maladministration in its complaint handling.

We have not made orders for the landlord to put things right.

Summary of reasons

Roof repairs following a leak

6. The landlord acknowledged the delay in repairing the roof and offered compensation for the detriment caused to the resident. This offer was in line with our remedies guidance.

Complaint handling

7. The landlord issued its formal responses within its policy timescales and appropriately managed expectations.

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.

Recommendations

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

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.

What we’ve not looked at

8. We have not investigated issues related to legal proceedings. The court decided these matters and awarded damages for disrepair based on an independent report. The resident claimed the leak had continued for 4 years, but the report the court relied upon said there was no water ingress from the roof.
9. Under our scheme, we cannot consider complaints that were the subject of court proceedings where a judgment on the merits was given. If the resident is concerned about repair matters related to the court order, he should seek independent legal advice or ask the court to review his concerns.

Roof repairs following a leak

10. The landlord accepts that there were failings in how it handled the resident’s reports. When this happens, we assess if the complaint was resolved fairly and if the landlord offered suitable redress. We also look at whether the landlord followed our Dispute Resolution Principles: be fair, put things right, and learn from outcomes.
11. There was an initial delay in inspecting the roof leak. The landlord raised a work order 19 days after the resident reported the problem. It traced the leak on 13 October 2023 but did not realise scaffolding was needed for the roof repairs. It only identified this after returning on 2 November 2023, which delayed resolving the matter.
12. It took more than 20 days to erect the scaffolding, causing another unreasonable delay. The landlord’s stage 1 response also incorrectly suggested that roof repairs were completed in December 2023. This frustrated the resident, who highlighted in his escalation request that the issue was still unresolved and that his bedroom was uninhabitable.
13. The roof repairs were not completed until mid-January 2024, over 4 months after the resident’s initial report and well beyond the landlord’s repair policy timescales.
14. The landlord’s final response apologised for the delays and offered £458 in compensation. Although it is unclear how the £208 for the delay was calculated, it was likely intended to recognise the resident’s inability to use the affected room during that period. In any case, the total amount was fair and aligned with our remedies guidance, which recommends awards up to £600 where failings have adversely affected a resident. This was a reasonable way to address the detriment caused.
15. The landlord’s final response said it would inspect the roof after rainfall to confirm the repairs were successful. Its records show it kept this commitment, inspecting at the end of February 2024, which confirmed it had resolved the leak. However, the leak had caused the ceiling to collapse, so the landlord offered to plasterboard and skim it. Although the resident completed the work himself, it was reasonable for the landlord to make this offer. Overall, its remedies were fair and demonstrated learning from the complaint.
16. The resident recently told us that he felt there was a defect in the external wall, causing damp to come through his bedroom wall. The landlord said in its final response that this issue was dealt with during court proceedings. However, given the time that has passed, we recommend that the landlord inspect the property and complete any repairs it is responsible for.

17. The landlord has a 2-stage complaint process. Stage 1 complaints should receive a formal response within 10 working days, and stage 2 complaints within 20 working days. The landlord met these timescales, providing formal responses at both stages in line with its policy and our Complaint Handling Code.
18. The landlord also appropriately informed the resident that it could not review matters considered in court through its complaints process. This was fair and in line with its policy. It also managed expectations well, as issues around the legal proceedings formed a large part of the complaint. The landlord’s formal responses clearly explained what action the resident could take and provided proportionate detail on the appropriate insurance routes for any damage to personal belongings or fixtures and fittings.

Learning

19. The landlord did well in managing expectations by explaining the limits of the complaints process and giving clear advice on insurance routes.
20. The landlord should clearly explain how compensation is calculated.
21. The landlord should raise work orders promptly after issues are reported and complete repairs within policy timescales.

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

22. For the most part, the landlord’s record-keeping was satisfactory.

Communication

23. The landlord did not regularly update the resident on the status of repairs. The landlord should let residents know what to expect regarding repairs and provide a schedule for repair visits.