Longhurst Group Limited (202222659)

REPORT

COMPLAINT 202222659

Longhurst Group Limited

25 March 2024

Our approach

The Housing Ombudsman’s approach to investigating and determining complaints is to decide what is fair in all the circumstances of the case. This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme (the Scheme). The Ombudsman considers the evidence and looks to see if there has been any ‘maladministration’, for example, whether the landlord has failed to keep to the law, followed proper procedure, followed good practice, or behaved in a reasonable and competent manner.

Both the resident and the landlord have submitted information to the Ombudsman, and this has been carefully considered. Their accounts of what has happened are summarised below. This report is not an exhaustive description of all the events that have occurred in relation to this case, but an outline of the key issues as a background to the investigation’s findings.

The complaint

1. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of repairs to the resident’s property.
2. The Ombudsman has also considered the associated complaint handling.

Background

3. The resident holds an assured tenancy with the landlord. The property is a 3-bedroomed house. The resident shares her property with her teenage children. The resident has health issues and is a wheelchair user which the landlord is aware of.
4. On 18 June 2020, the resident reported to the landlord that her kitchen floor was made of MDF and was rotting. On 1 February 2021, the resident reported that one of her children had fallen through the kitchen floor and had injured themselves.
5. During a phone call with the landlord on 11 January 2022, the resident said she wasn’t happy with how repairs she had reported to the landlord were being dealt with. She said:
   1. Repairs were needed to her kitchen floor which was rotten, there was rising damp in the downstairs rooms, both the front and back doors needed replacing, all the windows in her home were blown, there was mould in all the rooms in the property, the bathroom window did not close properly, there was a broken electrical socket in the kitchen, the lights in the lounge and the kitchen and the bathroom fan needed repairing, the toilet flush made a terrible noise, the floor by the front door needed repairing, and the steps outside the front door were subsiding.
   2. She had health issues and needed notice of any appointments so that these could be fitted around her hospital appointments.
   3. The landlord’s contractors had been rude and unsympathetic to her.
6. The landlord wrote to the resident on 11 January 2022. It said due to the number of issues raised; it may need 20 working days to respond to her complaint. On 18 January 2022, the landlord offered to provide the resident with temporary accommodation while the works to the kitchen took place, however she said she would prefer to stay in her home.
7. The landlord issued its stage 1 complaint response on 9 February 2022. It apologised for the delays in repairing the kitchen floor and the other outstanding repairs. It said:
   1. It had submitted an incident report about the resident’s child falling through the floor in February 2021, after speaking to her on 11 January 2022. Its health and safety team would contact the resident.
   2. Its contractor carried out a temporary fix to the kitchen floor in February 2021. The plank it had put in place had rotted away and the issue was raised again with the landlord in July 2021, but a repair was not booked until January 2022. Its surveyor had carried out an inspection and had recommended that the whole floor needed replacing. It was awaiting a report from a structural engineer and once it had received this it would make an appointment to replace the kitchen floor.
   3. It would also replace the kitchen units.
   4. A mould survey had been carried out and it was awaiting the results of the survey and any recommendations.
   5. It was awaiting the structural engineer’s report in relation to the rising damp in the property and the floor by the front door.
   6. It would replace the front and back doors and repair the front steps once work to the floor by the front door had been completed.
   7. It had raised the repairs to the windows and the bathroom window not closing with its subcontractor and was waiting for an appointment.
   8. It had repaired the kitchen socket, the kitchen and lounge light, and the bathroom extractor fan on 24 January 2022.
8. The resident escalated her complaint to stage 2 of the landlord’s complaint procedure on 30 September 2022. She said the following repairs remained outstanding: repairs to the kitchen floor, the replacement of the kitchen units, the rising damp, the floor by the front door, the front and back doors, the blown windows, and the steps to the front door. She said the landlord repaired the toilet; however, it still did not work properly. She confirmed that the bathroom window had been repaired and that the mould had been treated. She was seeking compensation for the delays in completing the repairs and for the injury caused to her child when they fell through the kitchen floor. On 6 October 2022, she reiterated that she wanted appointments to be made in advance rather than at the last minute.
9. On 26 October 2022, the resident contacted the landlord to say there was still a lot of mould in her house and sent photos of the mould. On 3 November 2022, the resident reported that there was a hole in her living room ceiling and asked that this be added to her complaint. The landlord contacted the resident the same day. The resident said that the mould was in areas of the property that had not been treated. She said that the temporary floor in the kitchen was rotting away, and she did not allow her children into the kitchen due to it being unsafe. She said that the external brickwork was cracking, and she was concerned this may be subsidence. She said new glass had been fitted to the windows, however, they were still full of condensation. She said the contractors had told her that the window frames were the problem.
10. Between October 2022 and April 2023, the resident continued to chase the landlord in relation to the repairs to her home. On 12 December 2022, she reported that the new doors were not closing properly. On 20 December 2022, she reported that she had fallen through the kitchen floor the previous day.
11. The landlord repaired the blown windows on 16 January 2023. Its records suggest that the repairs to the kitchen floor were completed towards the end of January 2023 and the holes in the kitchen walls were repaired on 17 March 2023.
12. On the 28 April 2023, the landlord issued its stage 2 complaint response. It apologised to the resident for the distress, upset and inconvenience caused to her and her family. It said it had failed in its service to her. It said:
    1. It had fitted new front and back doors on 27 October 2022; however, the resident had reported problems with the doors. It had tried to resolve the issues but had not been able to do so, so it had contacted the door manufacturers.
    2. It had completed the work to replace her kitchen floor. It had not been able to supply the floor colour the resident wanted so she had sourced her own. It offered to reimburse the resident for the cost of the flooring, however she had declined this offer.
    3. It had installed new kitchen units on 31 March 2023. The resident had told it that some of the units had since been damaged by a water leak.
    4. It was in the process of arranging for a damp and mould specialist to carry-out an in-depth investigation as to the cause of the issue.
    5. It replaced the rotten floorboard by the front door on 11 April 2023. It had agreed to lay new laminate flooring provided by the resident but would not be responsible for any future repairs to the laminate flooring as it had not supplied this. It had cut the skirting boards to size as the resident had agreed to fit these.
    6. The repairs to the external steps were still outstanding.
    7. Six windows in the property had been repaired and new glass was installed. The windows in the property were due to be replaced in 2029 as part of its programme of planned maintenance.
    8. It offered the resident £1250 in compensation, broken down as follows: £250 for the delay in issuing its stage 2 complaint and £1000 for the distress, upset and inconvenience for its failure to carry out the repairs in a timely manner.
    9. In relation to the injuries her child had suffered when they fell through the floor, it said it did not pay compensation for personal injury and advised that the resident seek advice from Citizen’s Advice.
13. The resident complained to the Ombudsman on 3 May 2023. She said that the external steps had not been repaired, there were cracks to the external wall and there were still blown windows throughout the property. The landlord had replaced the kitchen but had left holes in the kitchen wall. The landlord had offered the resident temporary accommodation for 4 days whilst works were carried out, however this had turned into 2 months and had affected her family’s health.
14. The landlord’s records show it re-laid the external steps on 15 June 2023.
15. An independent surveyor carried out an inspection of the resident’s property on 23 June 2023. The surveyor found no evidence of rising damp in the property and found all the windows to be in good condition. They found that there was evidence of rainwater seeping through the kitchen door and recommended that a mastic sealant be applied to the kitchen door to prevent this. They also found damp in the kitchen step and advised that this needed further investigation. There was dampness behind the clothes dryer in the kitchen due to an unsuitable arrangement of the condensation container and the dryer vent, causing a lack of ventilation. The surveyor identified that in the bathroom the toilet cistern was detached, there was a faulty hot tap, cracked areas between the bath and the surrounding tiles, and slight mould growth in some areas. The living room was in a good condition and the ceiling had recently been replaced.
16. The landlord repaired the cracks to the external wall on 8 August 2023.
17. On 9 August 2023, the landlord offered the resident a further £200 compensation. This was in addition to the £1250 compensation it had offered in its stage 2 response. On 14 August 2023, the landlord offered an additional £2176.79 compensation based on rent.  The landlord told the Ombudsman that the compensation it had offered the resident was based on 17.5% of her weekly rent from February 2022 to February 2023. It said she was still able to use her kitchen, however, it felt the outstanding repair to the floor had a significant impact on the use of the kitchen and had caused her inconvenience.
18. The resident contacted the Ombudsman on 8 September 2023. She said that her bathroom floor was rotten, and she was worried it would give way. She said that mould in the property was still a problem.
19. On 28 February 2024, the landlord carried out a further survey of the property. It did not identify any blown windows and did not find any signs of rising damp. Its inspection found some small areas of mould in the bathroom. The surveyor’s report stated that it was the resident’s responsibility to clean away small areas of mould.

Assessment

Scope of investigation

20. The following issues identified in the independent surveyor’s report of 23 June 2023 did not form part of the resident’s original complaint: the detached toilet cistern, the faulty hot tap, the cracked areas around the bath, the leak which damaged the new kitchen units, the damp in the kitchen step and the water seeping in through the back door. Since her complaint to the landlord, the resident has informed the Ombudsman that her bathroom floor is rotting. These issues have not been considered in this assessment. This is because the Ombudsman is not able to consider complaints that are made prior to having exhausted a landlord’s complaint procedure. This is so that landlords have the opportunity to respond to complaints and resolve issues before the Ombudsman becomes formally involved. If the resident wishes to pursue these issues further, she can complain to the landlord. She may be able to refer this new complaint to the Ombudsman once it has exhausted the landlord’s complaints process. It is recommended that the landlord repairs the issues identified in the independent surveyor’s report if it has not done so already. It is also recommended that it inspect the bathroom floor and carry out any necessary repairs.
21. The resident told the Ombudsman that the landlord had housed her in temporary accommodation whilst it carried out some of the works to the property. She said that she was told that this would only be for a period of 4 days, however, she was in temporary accommodation for 2 months. She said this affected the health of one of her children. As above, the Ombudsman is not able to consider this matter as it did not form part of her original complaint. The resident is encouraged to raise a complaint about this incident directly with the landlord should she wish to pursue this matter. She may be able to refer the new complaint to the Ombudsman if she remains dissatisfied once she has received the landlord’s final response to her concerns.
22. The resident has said that her health was affected by the landlord’s handling of the repairs and that her child had been injured when falling through the kitchen floor. The Ombudsman does not doubt the resident’s comments about her health and the injury to her child. However, it is beyond the Ombudsman’s remit to consider whether there was a direct link between the landlord’s actions or inaction and the resident’s health and the injury to her child. The Ombudsman can consider any distress and inconvenience caused by any errors by the landlord as well as the landlord’s response to the resident’s concerns about her health and the injury to her child.

Policies and procedures

23. Under the resident’s tenancy agreement, the landlord is responsible for maintaining the structure and exterior of the building. The tenancy agreement states that the landlord will give reasonable notice when it needs to access the property to carry-out repairs.
24. The landlord’s repairs policy states that it will attend to emergency repairs within 4 hours to ensure that the property is safe, urgent repairs will be attended to within 7 calendar days, and routine repairs within 28 calendar days. The repairs policy also states that following an emergency repair which has been made safe, a new routine or urgent repair appointment will be made, and an appointment agreed with the resident before the operative leaves the property.
25. The landlord’s complaint process has 2 stages. At stage 1, it will respond within 10 working days. At stage 2, it will respond in 20 working days. If an extension of time is needed at either stage, the complaints policy states that this will not exceed a further 10 working days.
26. The landlord’s compensation policy states that in a 3-bedroomed house, if the kitchen is considered unusable, 35% compensation based on rent should be considered.
27. The Ombudsman’s complaint handling code (the Code), published on our website, sets out the Ombudsman’s expectations for landlords’ complaint handling. The Code states that landlords must address all points raised in the complaint and provide clear reasons for any decisions, referencing the relevant policy, law, and good practice where appropriate.

The landlord’s handling of the repairs

28. The resident reported to the landlord in June 2020 that the kitchen floor was rotten. The landlord’s repair records indicated that works to the floor were completed on 17 July 2020, however the evidence provided to the Ombudsman does not state what works were needed nor what type of repairs were carried out. Without this information, the Ombudsman cannot assess whether the actions the landlord took were reasonable. However, given that the resident reported the issue again just over 6 months later, it is reasonable to assume that any repairs carried out were of a temporary nature and were not effective in resolving the repair. It is important that landlords keep comprehensive repair records to show that where structural repairs such as a rotting floor are reported to it, that it has investigated the issue to identify the cause and then sets out in detail what repairs were carried out to remedy the problem. The landlord is ordered to review its record keeping to ensure that it keeps full accounts of work carried out to remedy repairs.
29. The resident reported that the floor was rotten again on 1 February 2021. The landlord acted appropriately in attending the same day to make the floor safe by covering the hole. However, from the evidence available, no further action was taken by the landlord until January 2022, when the resident reported to it that the wood covering the floor was rotting. This was unacceptable. The landlord’s repairs policy, set out above, states that following an emergency repair to make the property safe, the landlord’s operative should make a follow-up appointment before they leave the property. The fact that this did not happen was a serious error on the part of the landlord, particularly as the landlord was aware the resident had health issues and was a wheelchair user, and she had reported that one of her children had fallen through the floor.
30. It was appropriate that the landlord offered the resident temporary accommodation in January 2022, whilst the repairs to the kitchen took place. However, the resident decided she would prefer to stay in her home at that stage.
31. The resident reported numerous missed appointments by the landlord’s contractors including on 9 February 2022, 8 March 2022, 22 March 2022, and 21 November 2022. On one occasion there is evidence that a contractor had been signed off sick and the contractors tried to call the resident to inform her of this but were unable to reach her. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the contractors either sent a text or an email to the resident to let her know they would need to book a new appointment. The landlord did not take any action to investigate the reasons for these missed appointments other than to check whether the appointments had been rebooked.
32. The resident also complained that contractors were booking appointments at the last minute, rather than in advance as she had requested, to accommodate her hospital appointments. As set out above, the resident’s tenancy agreement states that the landlord will give reasonable notice when it needs to access the property to carry-out repairs. There is no evidence to show that the landlord investigated the issue of contractors booking last minute appointments which will have been frustrating for the resident as it may have made her feel that the landlord was not listening to her.
33. The landlord’s repairs policy states that structural surveys and structural repairs should be classed as urgent repairs and attended to within 7 calendar days. It is accepted however, that some structural issues can take time to investigate and therefore may take considerably longer to repair than the timescales set out in the landlord’s policy. However, the repairs to the kitchen floor were still outstanding a year after the resident’s stage 1 complaint of 11 January 2022. This was an unacceptable delay which will have caused significant distress and inconvenience to the resident.
34. The landlord has offered the resident £2176.79 compensation based on rent for the period from February 2021 to February 2023. As noted above, it has said that it based its offer on 17.5% of rent for this period as it considered the kitchen to be still usable. However, after a visit to the property on 5 February 2022, the landlord’s surveyor stated that the floor was dangerous. On a visit to the property on 20 December 2022, the landlord recorded the kitchen floor as being a safeguarding issue. This suggests that the kitchen was unusable between February 2022 and the end of January 2023 when the repairs to the kitchen floor were completed.
35. The landlord’s compensation policy set out above, states that in a 3-bedroomed house, where the kitchen is considered unusable, compensation based on 35% of rent should be considered. It is accepted that the kitchen may have been unusable for a longer period than between February 2022 and February 2023, however the Service cannot assess how long the kitchen was unsafe to use as it has not seen evidence to confirm this, so it can only make a calculation based on the period the landlord deemed the floor to be unsafe.
36. In the opinion of the Ombudsman, compensation based on rent of 17.5% of weekly rent is fair for the period from February 2021 to January 2022. However, from February 2022 to the end of January 2023 when the floor was finally repaired, the landlord should offer compensation based on 35% of rent as its compensation policy states it should if a room is unusable. Therefore, the landlord should offer the resident an additional 17.5% for the 12-month period between February 2022 and January 2023. The resident’s rent increased from £116.54 to £121.32 during this period. However, the Ombudsman has used a figure of £120 per week for 52 weeks for ease and so as not to disadvantage the resident. 17.5% of £120 is £21. £21 x 52 weeks = £1092. The landlord is ordered to offer the resident an additional £1092 compensation based on rent.
37. The landlord acted appropriately in repairing the plug socket in the kitchen, the kitchen and lounge lights, and the bathroom fan on 24 January 2022. This was within its timescales for completing routine repairs of 28 calendar days.
38. The resident complained about mould and rising damp in her home on 11 January 2022. On 30 September 2022, the resident confirmed that the landlord had treated the mould. The Ombudsman has not seen records to confirm the date the initial treatment was carried out. On 26 October 2022, the resident reported that there was mould occurring in areas of the property which had not been treated. In its stage 2 complaint response of 28 April 2023, the landlord said it would organise a damp and mould survey of the property. However, there was a delay in it agreeing to carry out this survey of over 6 months. This delay was unreasonable as reports of damp and mould should be investigated and remedied as a routine repair within 28 working days.
39. The landlord told the Ombudsman it subsequently put the damp and mould survey on hold due to the resident submitting a claim for disrepair on 25 April 2023. The independent surveyor’s inspection of 23 June 2023 concluded that there were no signs of rising damp in the property. The independent surveyor identified slight mould growth in the bathroom but did not identify any other mould in the property. On 28 February 2024, the landlord’s surveyor also found some small areas of mould in the bathroom and stated that it was the resident’s responsibility to clean these areas. It is recommended that the landlord investigate the mould in the bathroom further to see if there is any treatment it could consider.
40. The independent surveyor’s inspection of 23 June 2023 identified dampness behind the clothes dryer in the kitchen due to an unsuitable arrangement of the condensation container and the dryer vent. This was confirmed in the landlord’s surveyor’s report of 28 February 2024. The landlord does not have any responsibility for the configuration of the resident’s appliance; however, it is recommended that it provide advice to the resident about how best to configure her dryer to avoid damp and mould building up behind it.
41. The resident complained to the landlord on 11 January 2022, that the front and back doors to her property needed replacing. The landlord replaced the doors on 27 October 2022. Replacing doors can take up to 3-4 months as the landlord often has to order these from the manufacturer and this can take time. However, the doors were not replaced for nearly 10 months and the landlord has not provided any explanation for this delay. The resident told the landlord on 12 December 2022 that the doors were not closing properly. In its stage 2 complaint response the landlord said it would contact the door manufacturer again, however the independent surveyor’s report did not identify any issues with the front and back door not closing. Therefore, the landlord does not need to do anything further in this regard. The resident is encouraged to report any issues with the front and back doors to the landlord and if she is not satisfied with its response, she can raise a new complaint with the landlord. Once any new complaint has exhausted the landlord’s complaint procedure, she may be able to refer the new complaint to the Ombudsman.
42. The resident complained to the landlord that the windows in her property were blown on 11 January 2023. The landlord did not complete the repairs to the windows until 16 January 2023, over a year later. It is accepted that repairs to windows can take longer than the 28 working day timescales for completing routine repairs, as the landlord may need to use specialist contractors. However, the delay of over a year was unreasonable and will have caused the resident time, trouble, and inconvenience.
43. As noted above, on 3 November 2022, the resident told the landlord that there was a hole in her living room ceiling and asked that this be added to her complaint. The Ombudsman has not seen any records to show what action the landlord took in relation to the hole in the living room ceiling and the landlord does not refer to the ceiling in its stage 2 complaint response. The resident had not raised this issue in her stage 1 complaint; however, it would have been reasonable for the landlord to provide a response as she had specifically asked it to add this issue to her complaint. The landlord could have provided a new stage 1 complaint response, outlining what action it would take to repair the ceiling and the date it would carry out this repair. The fact that it did not do so was a failing. However, the independent surveyor’s report of 23 June 2023 states that the living room ceiling had recently been replaced and appeared to be in good condition. Therefore, the landlord need not do anything further in relation to the hole in the ceiling.
44. The resident told the Ombudsman on 3 May 2023, that the repairs the landlord had carried out to the windows had not been effective, and the windows were still blown. However, the independent surveyor recorded that the windows were all in good condition on 23 June 2023. The landlord’s surveyor’s report of 28 February 2024 also confirmed that the windows were not blown. Therefore, the landlord does not need to do anything further in this regard. The resident is encouraged to report any further issues with the windows to the landlord and to raise a new complaint with the landlord, if she remains dissatisfied with its response.
45. The landlord did not respond to the concern the resident raised in her stage 2 complaint, that the toilet flush was still not working properly. It should have investigated this issue further and responded to let her know what action it would take. The fact that it did not do so was a failing which will have caused inconvenience to the resident.
46. The resident complained about the floor by the front door needing repair and the front doorsteps subsiding on 11 January 2022. The floor by the back door was not repaired until 11 April 2023. The front steps were not repaired until 15 June 2023. The resident reported cracking to the exterior wall on 3 November 2022. This was not repaired until 8 August 2023. As with the other repairs the resident raised in her stage 1 complaint, the delay in completing these repairs was well over a year. This was unreasonable and will have caused the resident considerable inconvenience.
47. The landlord informed the resident that it did not pay compensation for personal injury and advised that she contact Citizen’s Advice for advice. However, from the landlord’s website, it is clear that it has liability insurance. It would have been reasonable for it to advise the resident that she could pursue a personal injury claim with its liability insurer should she wish to do so for her child’s injury and for damage to her health. The landlord should pass on its insurer’s details to the resident now so she can make a claim if she wants to. It is outside the Ombudsman’s remit to comment on the outcome or handling of insurance claims and therefore we could not comment on the actions of the landlord’s liability insurer if a claim is made to it.
48. The landlord has acted appropriately by offering the resident £1200 compensation for the delays in completing the repairs at the resident’s property. This offer is in line with the Ombudsman’s remedies guidance, published on our website, which sets out our approach to compensation. The remedies guidance states that in cases where serious failures have been identified which had a detrimental impact on the resident, compensation of over £1000 should be offered. Therefore, the landlord does not need to do anything further in this regard, as its offer is in line with what the Ombudsman would have awarded had the landlord not already made an offer.
49. It was appropriate that as well as compensation for the delays in completing the repairs to the resident’s home, the landlord offered her compensation based on rent. However, the landlord’s offer of compensation based on rent was not made until after the end of its complaint process and did not, in the Ombudsman’s view, fully compensate her for the fact it considered the kitchen floor unsafe for at least a year. The Ombudsman’s investigation is focused on the landlord’s handling of the complaint within its complaints process and any offers of redress made during the complaints process. Therefore, there is a finding of severe maladministration from the landlord in its handling of the repairs as it did not offer compensation based on rent during the complaints process and the amount the landlord offered was not sufficient.

The landlord’s handling of the associated complaint

50. The resident complained to the landlord on 11 January 2022. The landlord’s complaint policy, set out above, states that it will respond to stage 1 complaints within 10 working days. The landlord acted in accordance with its complaints policy in advising the resident that as she had raised multiple repair issues, it may need longer than 10 working days but that it would respond within 20 working days.
51. In her stage 1 complaint, the resident told the landlord that its contractor’s had been rude to her. The landlord did not address this aspect of her complaint in either its stage 1 or stage 2 complaint response. The Ombudsman’s complaint handling code, set out above, states that landlords must address all points raised in a resident’s complaint. The landlord should have investigated the resident’s complaint about its contractor’s conduct, ensuring that it spoke to both the resident and the contractor concerned to try and establish what happened and consider any evidence. Once it had concluded its investigation, it should have looked at what action it could take, such as issuing an apology and/or arranging for different operatives to complete the works if appropriate. There is no evidence the landlord investigated the contractors’ conduct, and this may have made the resident feel that it was not taking her concerns seriously.
52. The resident escalated her complaint to stage 2 of the landlord’s complaint procedure on 30 September 2022. The landlord did not issue its stage 2 complaint response until 28 April 2023. The landlord’s complaint procedure, states that it will respond to stage 2 complaints within 20 working days. The landlord exceeded this timescale by almost 5 months and there is no evidence that it wrote to the resident to explain that it needed more time to respond to her complaint at stage 2. This delay will have caused the resident inconvenience as she was left waiting for a response to her concerns for longer than she should have been.
53. The landlord has apologised for the delay in responding to the resident’s stage 2 complaint and has offered £250 compensation for this delay. This offer is in line with the Ombudsman’s remedies guidance which states that in cases where there was a failure which adversely affected the resident, £100-£600 should be offered. Therefore, the landlord does not need to do anything further in this regard, as its offer is in line with what the Ombudsman would have awarded had the landlord not already made an offer and it is appropriate redress for the landlord’s errors in this case.

Determination (decision)

54. In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was severe maladministration by the landlord in its handling of the repairs to the resident’s property.
55. In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was reasonable redress by the landlord in its handling of the associated complaint.

Orders and recommendations

Orders

56. The landlord is ordered to do the following within 4 weeks of the date of this report, ensuring that the Ombudsman is provided with evidence of compliance by the same date:
    1. Review its record keeping to ensure that it keeps full accounts of the work carried out to remedy repairs.
    2. Pay the resident an additional £1092 compensation based on rent for the period that her kitchen floor was considered unsafe.
    3. Pay the resident the £1450 compensation it offered through its complaint process and the £2176.79 compensation based on rent if it has not done so already.

Recommendations

57. It is recommended that the landlord:
    1. Investigates the mould in the bathroom to see if there is any treatment it could consider.
    2. Repairs the following issues identified in the independent surveyor’s report of 23 June 2023, if it has not done so already: the detached toilet cistern, the faulty hot tap, the cracked areas around the bath, the leak which damaged the new kitchen units, the damp in the kitchen step and the water seeping in through the back door.
    3. Inspects the bathroom floor and carries-out any necessary repairs.
    4. Provides the resident with details of how to contact its liability insurer so she can make a claim for damage to her child’s injury and damage to her health if she wishes to do so.