Paragon Asra Housing Limited (202521005)

Background

1. The resident’s complaint concerns the information provided to her following a request for a parking space. She believed that the information given at the point of purchase was unclear or misleading. She also said that she subsequently received conflicting advice regarding her eligibility for parking and access to the waiting list.

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the resident’s:
   1. Request for a parking space.
   2. Complaint.

Our decision (determination)

3. There was service failure in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s request for a parking space.
4. There was reasonable redress in the landlord’s handling of the complaint.

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

Reasons

The resident’s request for a parking space

5. It is outside our remit to order the landlord to provide the resident with a parking space. However, we can consider any distress and inconvenience caused by the landlord’s handling of the issue.
6. The landlord confirmed that it reviewed the sales process, including the advertisement and title documents. It found no evidence that parking formed part of the sale or was guaranteed. It explained that the advert stated parking was subject to availability and, therefore, concluded that no incorrect advice had been provided at the point of sale. However, it acknowledged that the after sale information could have been clearer regarding the process for applying for and being allocated a space. The landlord apologised and offered £25 compensation for this communication failure.
7. At stage 2, the landlord reassessed the case but found no written evidence in its records, the sales documentation, or the lease to confirm that the resident had been informed she could apply for parking. It noted that the lease did not include any such right and that the sales pack provided to solicitors should have clarified this. While it accepted the resident had “experienced instances of miscommunication”, it did not uphold the complaint due to the absence of supporting evidence.
8. The landlord offered ongoing support through the neighbourhood team to explore alternative parking options for the resident. It was positive that the landlord offered alternative options in an effort to assist. It also confirmed it would remain open to reviewing any new evidence.
9. In summary, the landlord’s response was generally reasonable. It carried out appropriate investigations and relied on documented evidence to support its position. Although it acknowledged a communication failure, the compensation offered was not in line with its policy for cases with minimal impact and prompt resolution. In this case, the issue remained unresolved. While due to a lack of available parking rather than landlord inaction, it accepted that incorrect or conflicting information had been provided. Given the impact and ongoing uncertainty, a higher award was appropriate. Therefore, we increased the compensation in line with its policy and our guidance.

Complaint handling

10. The landlord’s complaints policy states that stage 1 responses should be provided within 10 working days and stage 2 responses within 20 working days. This is in line with the Complaint Handling Code.
11. The resident raised a formal complaint on 15 July 2025. The landlord issued its stage 1 response on 7 November 2025, which was 83 working days later and significantly outside its policy timescales. The resident requested escalation of her complaint on 19 November 2025, and the stage 2 response was provided on 23 December 2025. This was issued in line with the landlord’s policy timescales.
12. The landlord acknowledged failings in its complaint handling, apologised, and offered £150 compensation for the delay. This was reasonable and in accordance with its compensation policy.

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.