London & Quadrant Housing Trust (202318898)

Decision
Case ID	202318898
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	London & Quadrant Housing Trust
Landlord type	Housing Association
Occupancy	Assured Tenancy
Date	22 October 2025

Background

The resident lives in a ground-floor flat owned by the landlord. It is within a semi-detached building and has a cellar under her property. She has long-term health conditions.

What the complaint is about

The landlord’s handling of the resident’s:
1. Reports of damp and mould.
2. Requests for kitchen and bathroom repairs.
3. Complaint.

Our decision (determination)

We found:
1. Maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould.
2. The landlord offered redress to the resident which satisfactorily resolves the complaint about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s requests for kitchen and bathroom repairs.
3. The landlord offered redress to the resident which satisfactorily resolves the complaint about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s complaint.

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

Summary of reasons

The landlord’s handling of damp and mould

There were excessive delays in the landlord’s handling of repairs related to damp and mould. It did not complete all works recommended by its surveyor and the resident reports ongoing issues. Its compensation offer was not in line with our remedies guidance for the impact of the issues on the resident.

The landlord’s handling of kitchen and bathroom repairs

There were conflicting reports about the kitchen and bathroom repairs. The landlord logged works as complete, but the resident says works are outstanding. She reported this to the landlord again in February 2025. However, we must base our decision on the evidence available, and it made a fair compensation offer.

The landlord’s complaint handling

The landlord did not raise a new complaint for the issues the resident raised after stage 1. Its stage 2 response did not clearly define the complaint stage or the complaint definition. However, it made an appropriate compensation offer and apologised.

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. It must also call the resident to ensure it has met her accessibility needs. The landlord must ensure: The apology is provided by a repairs manager. 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 20 November 2025
2	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. The landlord must arrange the inspection with the resident at a time suitable to her. 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 entirety of the property in relation to ongoing damp and mould, including any issues with slug infestations, 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 the damp and mould and associated slug ingress. 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). Whether a chemical damp proof course injection is still advisable. 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 18 December 2025
3	Compensation order The landlord must pay the resident £915 made up as follows: £700 for the delays in repairing the downpipe inlet which contributed to damp and mould £100 for not clearly managing the resident’s expectations about works relating to damp and mould £115 as offered in its stage 2 response for the identified repairs failures 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 20 November 2025

Recommendations

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

Our recommendations
We recommend the landlord call the resident to ensure it obtains clear and accurate records of any reasonable adjustments she may require.
We recommend the landlord pays the resident its stage 2 £50 compensation offer for complaint handling if it has not done so already. The offer recognised genuine elements of service failure, and we make the reasonable redress finding on that basis.

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
9 June 2023	The resident complained about ongoing damp and mould, the impact of this on her enjoyment of the property and her health.
12 June 2023	The landlord acknowledged the resident’s complaint.
13 June 2023	The landlord sent its stage 1 complaint response. It said it completed all repairs to clear the damp and mould but acknowledged outstanding damp and mushrooms on the wall next to the bathroom. It said it would contact the resident with its next steps and offer compensation after completing works.
6 November 2023	The resident escalated her complaint as there was ongoing damp and mould causing slugs to enter her property and mushrooms growing from the walls. She expected a new bathroom suite and kitchen unit following advice from the landlord’s surveyor. She was unhappy with its lack of contact and said it had not considered her needs.
19 December 2023	The landlord sent its stage 2 response. It apologised for the delay. It said it would complete repair works between January and April 2024 but would look to expedite these if possible. It offered £275 compensation.
Referral to the Ombudsman	The resident asked us to investigate her complaint due to ongoing damp and mould. She would like the landlord to rectify the damp and mould, complete bathroom and kitchen repairs, and increase its compensation.

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 handling of damp and mould
Finding	Maladministration

The resident reported damp and mould as early as August 2021. The landlord inspected and raised works in October 2021 to repair a down pipe inlet which was causing a damp wall. It did not attend until February 2022 but said it could not access the property. There is no evidence it told the resident about the appointment or rescheduled the works.
In December 2022, the resident reported a recurrence of damp and mould. The landlord inspected and found the down pipe inlet works outstanding. This was over a year since first finding the problem. It said this was an urgent outstanding repair but did not raise the works for a further 2 weeks. It completed the repair on 24 January 2023. Its policy says it aims to complete routine repairs within 25 calendar days. It exceeded this by over a year.
After the resident’s complaint, the landlord inspected the property in July 2023. It recommended a chemical damp proof course injection and specialist replastering. It did not raise works until the resident complained in November 2023. Works of this nature can be complex and take longer than routine repairs. However, it did not raise works for almost 4 months despite her reporting mushrooms growing from the walls and slugs entering the property from the cellar.
In its complaint response the landlord said it would complete works between January and April 2024. It did not specify which works. It did not complete a chemical damp proof course injection, nor did it explain the reasons for this£225 of its compensation was for the repairs issues, including the kitchen and bathroom repairs. Therefore, we attributed £115 of this offer to its handling of damp and mould.
The resident says damp and mould is still an issue. She reported further problems to the landlord in February 2025. There were excessive delays in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould. Its compensation policy does not specify how it will calculate its offers. However, its offer is not in line with our remedies guidance for the level of impact the condition of the property had on the resident.

Complaint	The handling of kitchen and bathroom repairs
Finding	Reasonable redress

The resident did not raise issues with her kitchen and bathroom in her stage 1 complaint. However, she included this in her stage 2 escalation. She said the landlord’s surveyor told her she would get a new bathroom suite and a new kitchen unit due to their poor condition. We have not seen this report.
In its final complaint response, the landlord said it would complete all repair works between January and April 2024. It did not specify which works. Its records say it completed works to the kitchen unit and bath enamel in January and March 2024.There are no details included in the completion log. However, the resident told the landlord the works were outstanding in February 2025.
The landlord’s final response was not clear about what works it completed. The resident raised the kitchen and bathroom repairs in her escalation request, and the landlord included it in its stage 2 offer to complete works. We attributed £110 of its compensation offer to these issues. Its compensation offer was fair, and the landlord’s records show it completed works. While the resident reported outstanding works, we must rely on the evidence available to us. It may wish to inspect the resident’s kitchen and bathroom for any issues.

Complaint	The handling of the complaint
Finding	Reasonable redress

The landlord’s complaint policy says it will treat anything raised after its stage 1 response as a new complaint. It did not do this when the resident raised new issues in her stage 2 escalation.
The landlord should have raised the resident’s later concerns as a new complaint. It did not address this in its final response. Its response was not compliant with our Complaint Handling Code (the Code) as it did not include a clear complaint definition or clearly define the complaint stage. However, this did not cause adverse impact to the resident.
The landlord’s policy says it should respond to stage 2 complaints within 20 working days. It took 31 working days to respond at stage 2. It apologised for the delay and offered £50 compensation. This was fair and reasonable for the issues identified.

Learning

The landlord should clearly communicate its findings and any proposed actions after a property survey to its residents to manage expectations.

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

There were no issues with the landlord’s record keeping. The landlord could improve its repairs records by including notes about how it has completed a repair.

Communication

The resident included issues with the landlord’s communication as part of her complaint. She has dyslexia and asked it to call her about works. She said it did not. She felt it did not consider her needs. We have not seen evidence of this request. At this stage, it should have called her to make a record of her required adjustments.
The Code says landlords must make it easy for residents to complain by providing different channels through which they can make a complaint. Landlords must consider their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and anticipate the needs and reasonable adjustments of residents who may need to access the complaints process. The landlord should contact the resident by phone to obtain clear and accurate records of her requirements under the Equality Act 2010.