Places for People Group Limited (202416696)

REPORT

COMPLAINT 202416696

Places for People Group Limited

20 May 2025 (Updated following review on 29 August 2025)

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:
   1. Damp and mould at the resident’s property.
   2. The associated complaint.

Background

2. The resident is an assured tenant of the landlord.
3. The resident is being represented by her aunt on this complaint. For ease of reference, the resident and her aunt will both be referred to as “the  resident” in this report.
4. On 28 February 2023, the resident reported damp and mould at her property. She stated there was damp and mould in the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, and bathroom.
5. On 9 November 2023, the resident submitted a complaint to the landlord. She explained she had contacted the landlord multiple times to resolve the damp and mould at her property. The resident stated her daughter had suffered with health issues because of the damp and mould. In addition, she said she had thrown away items of clothing and artefacts due to the damage caused by the damp and mould.
6. The landlord provided its stage 1 complaint response to the resident on 10 January 2024. It explained following the resident’s report of damp and mould; it carried out an independent damp and mould survey. The landlord stated the surveyor recommended a range of works, including the installation of an extractor fan, renewing the kitchen units, inspecting the drains, and clearing all the gutters. The landlord confirmed all the recommended works were completed, but the resident reported the damp and mould returned, so a further surveyor inspection was completed, and repairs were carried out to the kitchen. The landlord apologised for the distress and inconvenience caused by its handling of the damp and mould repairs. It offered the resident £1500 compensation, which included £600 for distress and inconvenience, £400 for wasted food and £500 for damaged clothing.
7. On 24 February 2024, the resident contacted the landlord and requested her complaint to be escalated to the next stage of its complaints process. She refused the landlord’s compensation offer because she said she had previously mentioned on multiple occasions the impact of the damp and mould on her children’s health, and she did not feel the offer was sufficient for this.
8. The landlord provided its stage 2 complaint response to the resident on 5 April 2024. It explained it had conducted a further visit and upon removal of the kitchen units, it identified and resolved a leak. The landlord stated it offered the resident a decant (temporary move) for her and her family due to the nature of the works, but it stated the resident refused this. It confirmed that new kitchen cupboards and units were installed and there has been a damp and mould wash throughout the resident’s property. In addition, the landlord stated the guttering, and the roof had been cleared of debris and new extractor fans fitted. It re-offered the £1500 compensation, which it offered in its stage 1 complaint response.
9. On 13 May 2024, the resident emailed the landlord and stated there was still damp and mould within the property.
10. The resident remained dissatisfied with the landlord’s response and submitted her complaint to the Ombudsman. She stated her desired outcome was to receive an increased offer of compensation and for the damp and mould to be resolved at the property.
11. At the end of April 2025, the resident told the Ombudsman that damp and mould was still present in the property.

Assessment and findings

Scope of investigation

12. The resident first reported issues with damp and mould in her property in October 2012. The Ombudsman acknowledges the resident’s comments about the length of time the issue has been ongoing for. We acknowledge it is a longstanding issue which has caused difficulties for her and her family. However, there is no evidence of her raising a formal complaint to the landlord until November 2023. In view of the time periods involved in this case and considering the availability and reliability of evidence, this report will not consider any specific events approximately more than 12 months prior to when the resident submitted her complaint to the landlord in November 2023. This is because paragraph 42(c) of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme (available on our website), explains that this service may not investigate complaints that were not brought to the attention of the landlord as a formal complaint within a reasonable period, normally within 12 months of the matters arising.
13. The resident has mentioned as part of the complaint her daughter’s asthma was impacted by the damp and mould at the property. In addition, she stated her, and her family’s mental health and physical health was impacted. We acknowledge that this has been a very difficult time for the resident and her family. However, it is outside the Ombudsman’s role to determine whether there is a direct link between the landlord’s actions or inaction and any specific impact on the resident and her daughter’s health. It would be more appropriately suited for a court or liability insurer to investigate this as a personal injury claim. Courts can award damages in a different way to the Ombudsman and review medical evidence. However, it is generally accepted that damp and mould can pose a significant health risk, particularly for those with respiratory conditions such as asthma. This service can consider the general risk, and distress and inconvenience caused by any errors by the landlord as well as the landlord’s response to the resident’s concerns about her family’s health.

Policies and Procedures

14. The landlord’s damp and mould policy explains the landlord carries out an inspection and responsive repairs to diagnose and resolve damp and mould. In addition, it states that repairs will be carried out in accordance with its repairs policy.
15. The landlord’s repairs policy includes the following response timescales for repair categories:
    1. Emergency repairs – the landlord will respond and carry out the repair within 24 hours.
    2. Appointable (routine repairs) – the landlord will respond and carry out the repair within 28 days.
    3. Planned repairs – the landlord will respond and carry out the repair within 90 days.

Damp and mould at the resident’s property.

16. In February 2023, the resident reported damp and mould issues at her property to the landlord. She stated there was severe damp and mould in the kitchen, living room, bedrooms, and bathroom. Following the resident’s report, the landlord failed to carry out a damp and mould inspection until June 2023. The delay by the landlord was unreasonable, and the Ombudsman would have expected the landlord to respond promptly to the reported damp and mould issue, in line with its published timescales for routine repairs.
17. The independent surveyor inspection identified mould throughout the property, particularly on the external facing walls. The surveyor recommended works in the kitchen, bathroom, and living room, which included installing an extractor fan and vent, fitting a membrane liner, and renewing kitchen units. The surveyor also recommended a drain inspection and clearing of the gutters.
18. The landlord’s contractor carried out a mould wash shortly after the inspection and then completed the works recommended by the surveyor in September 2023 and October 2023. The landlord’s contractor completed all the works apart from renewing the kitchen units because these were not due for renewal until the year 2026. The landlord acted appropriately by carrying out the works agreed by the independent surveyor. However, the works did not resolve the damp and mould issue and shortly after the resident reported the damp and mould had come back.
19. The Ombudsman recognises it can take more than one attempt to resolve issues such as damp and mould as it can be difficult to identify the cause of the issue at the outset and in some cases different repairs may need to be attempted before the matter is resolved.
20. The landlord responded promptly to the resident’s report that the damp and mould had returned and carried out an inspection in November 2023. Further works were recommended from the inspection and carried out shortly after the inspection. The works identified included works to the kitchen, and it was identified that these works would cause some disruption. Due to this, the landlord offered to decant the resident and her 2 children to a family room at a hotel for a couple of days. The landlord’s records reference that it spoke to the resident directly, and she stated she did not want to be decanted because her son was autistic, and it would cause too much disruption. In addition, there is also an email from the resident’s aunt stating it was not appropriate for the resident’s teenage daughter and son to share the same hotel room.
21. The landlord responded to the concerns raised about the resident’s daughter and son sharing the same room and explained due to the ages of the resident’s children, it could not book 2 separate rooms because a child could not stay in a room by themselves without an adult. This was a reasonable response by the landlord and the offered temporary move to the hotel was a short stay for a few nights.
22. Shortly after, recommended works were carried out to the roof and to resolve a leak identified in the kitchen and to replace the kitchen units. The works were completed by the end of December 2023. The landlord took reasonable steps by carrying out the further works identified during the second inspection.
23. In January 2024, the landlord provided its stage 1 complaint response to the resident. It apologised for the distress and inconvenience caused in resolving the damp and mould at the resident’s property. The landlord offered the resident £1500 compensation, which included £600 for distress and inconvenience, £400 for wasted food and £500 for damaged clothing. The landlord also re-offered the same compensation amount in its stage 2 complaint response issued in April 2024. The compensation offered by the landlord was sufficient to recognise the delay, distress, and inconvenience experienced until it completed works in January 2024.
24. The resident told the Ombudsman that the landlord did not ask her for any information about the food wastage or items which were damaged due to the damp and mould or ask her for receipts or the value of the items. The landlord has also confirmed to us that it only looked at photographs of some of the damaged clothing which was sent to it and did not request further information from the resident. The Ombudsman asked the resident to provide us with further information about the damaged items and food wastage. The resident provided some further information and stated items such as trainers, bags, clothing, wardrobes, chest of draws and the carpet were damaged. She also stated the value of the items was £7000. However, she did not provide a detailed breakdown of the cost of each item or supporting evidence such as photographs of the damaged items. Therefore, we have not been provided with sufficient evidence to demonstrate the cost of the damaged items and food wastage. So, based on the information we have, the landlord’s compensation offer of £500 for damaged clothing and £400 for food wastage was reasonable. In addition, £400 for food wastage is a reasonable amount based on the size of the resident’s household.
25. Shortly after, the landlord provided its stage 2 complaint response to the resident in April 2024. The resident responded to the landlord in May 2024 and stated there was still mould all over the property. From the landlord’s records, it appears a mould wash and painting works were completed in the resident’s bathroom in October 2024. However, there was no evidence of the completion of a further damp and mould survey. The Ombudsman contacted the landlord in April 2025 to confirm whether it carried out a further damp and mould inspection in response to the resident’s report that there was still mould within the property. The landlord confirmed that a further inspection was not carried out and explained it attempted to attend the resident’s property in May 2025 following our information request to inspect the damp and mould, but the resident was not at home.
26. As the landlord failed to carry out a further damp and mould inspection after the resident told it there was mould still present in the property. There has been maladministration by the landlord in its handling of damp and mould at the resident’s property.
27. The Ombudsman requires the landlord to arrange a surveyor to carry out a damp and mould inspection at the resident’s property and draw up a schedule of any required works following this survey. In addition, the landlord is ordered to pay the resident an additional £400 compensation to recognise the distress and inconvenience caused by its failure to carry out a further damp and mould inspection for a year after the resident told it there was mould still present within the property. The amount ordered is in addition to the compensation offered by the landlord during its complaints process. Therefore, the total compensation for distress and inconvenience is £1000. The remedies guidance suggests awards of £600 to £1000 where there has been a serious failure by the landlord, which had a significant impact on the resident. The landlord is required to pay the £1000 compensation to recognise the distress and inconvenience caused and the £900 compensation it offered for the resident’s damaged clothing and food wastage.

The associated complaint.

28. The Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code (the Code) sets out the Ombudsman’s expectations for landlords’ complaint handling practices. The Code states that a stage 1 response should be provided within 10 working days of the complaint. It also explains that a stage 2 response should be provided within 20 working days from the request to escalate the complaint. The landlord’s complaints policy includes the same timescales referenced in the Code.
29. The resident submitted her complaint to the landlord on 9 November 2023. It took around 42 working days for the landlord to provide its stage 1 complaint response. The response was late and not compliant with the 10-working day timescale referenced in the Code and the landlord’s complaints policy.
30. On 24 February 2024, the resident contacted the landlord and requested her complaint to be escalated to the next stage of its complaints process. Following this, the landlord provided its stage 2 complaint response to the resident on 5 April 2024. The response was 8 working days late and not compliant with the timescales referenced in the Code or the landlord’s complaints policy. Although, the delay was not excessive.
31. The landlord failed to acknowledge and apologise for its complaint handling delays. Therefore, given the delay in the landlord providing its complaint responses, particularly at stage 1, there has been maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the associated complaint. It would be appropriate for the landlord to pay the resident £100 compensation for the distress and inconvenience caused. The amount of compensation awarded is in line with the Ombudsman’s remedies guidance referenced above.

Determination (decision)

32. In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was maladministration in the landlord’s handling of damp and mould at the resident’s property.
33. In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the associated complaint.

Orders

34. The landlord is ordered to:
    1. Pay the resident £400 compensation for the distress and inconvenience caused by its delay in resolving the damp and mould at the resident’s property. This amount is in addition to the £1500 the landlord offered during its complaints process.
    2. Pay the resident £100 compensation for the distress and inconvenience caused by its complaint handling errors.
    3. The landlord is to consider the new evidence provided by the resident of photographs, receipts and the breakdown of purchases in the spreadsheet. The landlord should consider if it wants to make a revised offer of compensation in light of this. If it does not or the resident does not accept the revised offer, it should provider her with its insurance details so she can make a claim.
35. The landlord must comply with the above orders within 4 weeks of the date of this report, providing evidence to the Ombudsman that it has done so by the same date.
36. The landlord is ordered to arrange for a surveyor to complete a damp and mould inspection at the resident’s property and draw up a schedule of any required works to resolve the damp and mould issues. The schedule must include timescales of when the work will be completed. A copy of the schedule should be sent to the resident and the Ombudsman.
37. The landlord must comply with the above order within 6 weeks of the date of this report, providing evidence to the Ombudsman that it has done so by the same date.