Notting Hill Genesis (202510446)

Background

1. The resident has raised concerns about the landlord’s handling of a number of repairs and the general condition of the property. The resident lives in the property with her 4 children. There are vulnerabilities in the household but it is unclear if the landlord is fully aware of this.
2. The resident has a representative (her daughter) who has handled the complaints on her behalf. For ease of reading, this report will use “the resident” when talking about the actions of both the resident and representative.

What the complaint is about

3. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of:
   1. Bathroom leaks.
   2. Repairs to the front and back door.
   3. Repairs to the gas meter box.
4. We have also considered the landlord’s complaints handling.

Our decision (determination)

5. We have found there was:
   1. Maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the bathroom leaks.
   2. Service failure in the landlord’s handling of the repairs to the front and back door.
   3. Service failure in the landlord’s handling of the repairs to the gas meter cupboard.
   4. Reasonable redress in the landlord’s complaints handling.

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

Summary of reasons

The bathroom leaks

6. The landlord responded to individual repairs which was reasonable, however a lasting and long term solution has not yet been implemented. The landlord appears to be aware of what actions it needs to take to resolve the leaks and the remedial repairs but does not appear to have completed these yet. We have found failure in the landlord’s handling of the bathroom leaks.

The front and back door repairs

7. The landlord has taken some action to address repairs to the doors. However, it remains unclear whether any works are still outstanding. We have found failure in the landlord’s handling of the door repairs.

The gas meter box repairs

8. The landlord identified follow-on work to the meter cupboard but appeared to cancel the repair without telling the resident why. It is unclear if the landlord liaised with the utility provider or whether the repairs to the meter cupboard have been completed. There were failings in the landlord’s handling of this.

The landlord’s complaints handling

9. There were notable delays in the landlord’s complaints handling. However, the landlord recognised these delays and made an offer of compensation which reasonably redressed the failures it had identified in its complaints handling.

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.

Recommendations

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

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.

10. The resident said she has been experiencing issues with the property’s condition for approximately 10 years. However, she first raised a formal complaint with the landlord about this in September 2024. We have not seen evidence that the resident was prevented from making a complaint about the property’s condition or repairs earlier. We acknowledge the history of issues the resident said she experienced. However, due to the passage of time and the availability of evidence, this investigation will consider events from January 2023 onward.
11. The resident said her health and the health of her children has been affected due to the condition of the property. She also said her son was in hospital with breathing issues. It would be fairer, more reasonable, and more effective for the resident to make a personal injury claim for any impact on health. Courts are best placed to deal with this type of dispute as they will have the benefit of independent medical advice to decide on the cause of any injury and how long it will last. We have not investigated this further. We can decide if a landlord should pay compensation for any distress and inconvenience.
12. On 3 January 2023 the landlord responded to a report of a leaking sink in the upstairs bathroom. During the visit the landlord isolated the leak and noted that the previous workmanship was poor. It recommended that the affected areas were replaced. The landlord appears to have installed a new mixer tap in the weeks that followed. It was positive that the landlord made the leak safe, identified and completed follow-on work at the time.
13. The resident reported a further leak on 9 January 2023 which had started to affect the ground floor. The landlord’s records show this was marked as completed on 25 January 2023, however it is unclear what action was taken during this visit or whether any further works were identified.
14. On 29 March 2023 the landlord then appears to have replaced the taps to the bathtub, and completed new silicone around the bathtub. No further works were identified at this stage.
15. In any event, we acknowledge the resident has experienced a number of leaks from her bathroom. Although the evidence does not fully demonstrate that the leaks were linked or caused by the same issue, it would have been understandably frustrating, and distressing for the resident to experience so many leaks. It has also been difficult for us to establish what specific action was taking place during each visit.
16. The resident said that a survey was completed in June 2023 but we have seen no evidence of that report. We also note the landlord said it was making internal enquiries to acquire a copy of the survey report. It was unclear if the landlord ever acquired a copy of that report. This was a further failure and points to poor record keeping practices.
17. When the landlord issued its stage 2 complaint response on 30 May 2025, it accepted that the leaks had not been fully resolved and upheld the resident’s complaint because there was no long term solution. It committed to completing a new inspection to identify the best way forward. Whilst it was positive the landlord committed to a new inspection, the landlord did not appear to complete this until 7 October 2025. This was some 4 months after its final complaint response. This was a failure.
18. The landlord recognised the resident’s distress and inconvenience caused by the delays in completing lasting repairs, and offered a total of £375 across both its stage 1 and stage 2 complaint responses. Whilst this may have been a reasonable offer at the time of the stage 2 complaint response, the landlord failed to fully resolve the issues and in any event delayed completing a new inspection until some 4 months later. In addition to this, the resident has told us that she has not yet been contacted by the landlord to arrange any of the works from the survey it completed in October
19. The landlord is ordered to pay the resident an additional £300 compensation for the continued distress and inconvenience caused by its handling of the leaks, and the further delays to take any clear action following the conclusion of its complaints procedure. This is in addition to the £375 compensation it offered across its stage 1 and stage 2 complaint responses.
20. When the landlord completed the survey in October 2025, it made a series of recommendations of works to be completed. This included:
    1. Investigation of the water ingress in the bathroom.
    2. Repairs to the affected ceiling, including redecoration.
    3. Tiling repairs.
    4. Trickle vent repairs.
    5. Mould washes.
21. However, it is unclear what the status of these works is and the resident has said that no action has been taken following the survey in October 2025. We have made an order for the landlord to complete any necessary works.
22. We also recommend the landlord contacts the resident to update any medical information it holds about her and the household (if she consents to this). This is to help the landlord in considering its future service delivery to the resident.

23. On 8 April 2024 the landlord logged a repair for a damaged back door. It attended to this on 18 April, completed a repair to the lock, and recommended the lock was relocated. The landlord’s initial response to this repair was appropriate and it was positive that it identified further works.
24. However, it is unclear whether or not the landlord ever raised the follow-on work and what the status of this is, including up to today. This was a failure.
25. In its stage 2 complaint response the landlord said it had asked a housing officer to assess all repair issues the resident had raised as part of her complaint as it was not previously aware of any issues with the front door.
26. The landlord failed to use its complaints procedure to take ownership of the problems with the doors and provide a solution to the resident. It instead delayed the response further by saying it had asked a housing officer to have a look at all the repair issues. The landlord already knew what action it needed to take (relocate the lock) and inspect the front door, so it is unclear why it caused these further delays and this was a failure.
27. We note the landlord replaced the letter plate to the front door, in July 2025. It is unclear if there are any further issues in relation to the front door as things currently stand but we do note the landlord suggested that the garden doors needed renewing in the inspection it completed in October 2025. The resident has also suggested that the doors still remain an issue.
28. As there were delays to complete the repairs to the back door, and a delay to inspect the front door following the stage 2 complaint response, we have found service failure in the landlord’s handling of this.
29. The landlord is ordered to complete an inspection of the doors in the property to establish what is outstanding and what repairs need completing.

30. On 7 July 2023 the resident told the landlord about a broken meter cupboard door. The evidence shows the landlord attended on 14 July 2023 and identified work to replace the meter box. The landlord’s contractor noted that the gas meter would need to be removed whilst the works were completed.
31. Around a month later, internal notes suggested the utility provider would need to complete the meter works before the cupboard could be repaired. In any event, it is unclear what happened from this point and the resident did not appear to be notified about what course of action the landlord intended to take, in partnership with the utility provider.
32. Whilst it may have been reasonable for the landlord to cancel the repair, it failed to explain its reasons to the resident at the time. This would have been frustrating for the resident. Not only this, but it is still unclear whether or not the gas meter cupboard has been repaired.
33. For these reasons, we have found service failure in the landlord’s handling of the gas meter cupboard repairs.
34. The landlord is ordered to carry out the necessary repairs to the meter cupboard, and liaise with the utility provider where required.

35. At the time of the complaint, the landlord’s complaints policy said that it responds to stage 1 complaints within 10 working days and stage 2 complaints (which it called a review) within 20 working days.
36. The evidence shows that the resident initially expressed her dissatisfaction about the situation on 24 September 2024. We note the landlord responded to this on 1 November 2024. The response was delayed by 18 working days.
37. The resident asked to escalate her complaint to stage 2 on 9 November 2024. The landlord acknowledged the complaint on 14 November 2024 but failed to respond to the complaint until 30 May 2025. This was 118 working days, and was a significant delay.
38. The evidence also demonstrated that between November 2024 and May 2025 the resident chased the landlord regularly for an update on the response. It would have been understandably frustrating for the resident to feel her complaint was being ignored. It also slowed down her ability to refer her complaint to this service.
39. When the landlord issued its stage 2 complaint response, it recognised there were delays in its complaints handling and offered her £150 compensation for these failures.
40. Whilst the delay would have been frustrating, it was positive the landlord reflected on the failures and shortcomings in its complaints handling and made an offer of compensation. The £150 was an appropriate amount of compensation.
41. For this reason, we have found there was reasonable redress in the landlord’s complaints handling.
42. We do recommend the landlord reviews what caused the delays in its complaints handling for this case and why the resident’s chase ups went formally unanswered, despite the various acknowledgements it issued.
43. We also recommend the landlord ensures this £150 compensation has been paid to the resident, unless it has already done so.

Learning

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

44. The landlord’s records were not always entirely clear. It was hard to identify what took place during certain repair visits, what the outcomes were, and whether any follow-on work was identified, and how this was being logged. In addition to this, an earlier survey copy appears to have been misplaced. There is an opportunity for the landlord to ensure its knowledge and information management is robust and sufficiently detailed.

Communication

45. The landlord failed to communicate the reasons why it was not going to complete the repair to the meter cupboard. The landlord should have told the resident why. There is a learning opportunity for the landlord to reflect on how it communicates with its residents, particularly where multiple agencies are involved in a repair.