Sanctuary Housing Association (202331975)

Decision
Case ID	202331975
Decision type	Investigation
Landlord	Sanctuary Housing Association
Landlord type	Housing Association
Occupancy	Assured Shorthold Tenancy
Date	11 November 2025

Background

The resident lives in a flat which has a front door directly from the outside into the flat. He said that he had reported issues to the landlord about the front door being draughty, not opening and closing properly and being damp from 17 October 2022. The resident advised the landlord on 16 January 2024 of his disability which made it painful to open and close the door when sticking.

What the complaint is about

The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of:
1. The resident’s front door replacement request.
2. The associated complaint.

Our decision (determination)

There was maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s request for a replacement front door.
There was reasonable redress in the landlord’s handling of the associated complaint.

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

Summary of reasons

In summary, the Ombudsman found that the landlord:
1. delayed organising and completing repairs to the door contrary to its repairing obligations and its repairs policy
2. delayed the approval process to request a replacement front door
3. failed to consider the resident’s vulnerabilities and to complete an appropriate risk assessment at an earlier stage
4. failed to appropriately communicate with the resident to update him on the repairs and requested replacement front door

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. The landlord must ensure: The apology is provided by a senior leader. 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 09 December 2025
2	Compensation order The landlord must pay the resident £450 (inclusive of the £175 previously awarded) made up as follows: £250 (inclusive of the £75 offered at stage 1) for the landlord’s handling of the resident’s front door replacement request for the delays in completing repairs and in replacing the door £200 (inclusive of the £100 offered at stage 2) for the distress, inconvenience, time and trouble caused to the resident by the landlord’s failings 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 09 December 2025
3	The landlord must contact the resident to update its records regarding his vulnerability to ensure that future repairs are completed according to its policy on vulnerable residents.	No later than 09 December 2025

Our investigation

The complaint procedure

Date	What happened
5 November 2022 – 17 July 2023	The resident reported that his front door was letting in a draught and was damp. He chased up the landlord on 18 May 2023 and 17 July 2023 for updates.
10 August 2023	The resident raised a stage 1 complaint. He said he contacted the landlord about the front door on 17 October 2022. An operative attended on 6 January 2023 who said that the resident required a new front door. He had chased for updates over 7 months. He requested a new front door.
10 October 2023	The landlord issued its stage 1 complaint response. It said that its operative visited the property on 6 January 2023, and they had sought approval to replace the door. It acknowledged its lack of communication after the resident’s chase ups in May and July. Following its operative’s visit of 22 August 2023 the landlord refused a replacement door. It said it would repair it instead confirming an appointment for 23 November 2023 to replace the glass and to treat mould on the inside of the door. It awarded £75 for the time, trouble and inconvenience caused to the resident for its poor communication and delays.
16 January 2024	The resident requested that the landlord escalate his complaint to stage 2 of the landlord’s internal complaints process. He advised the landlord that due to his disability it caused him pain to try and open the door, and his young children were unable to open the door as it would stick. As a remedy he requested a replacement front door.
7 March 2024	The landlord issued its final complaint response. It was unable to see any further repairs raised since the resident advised that the door was swelling on 9 January 2024. It apologised for this and said it would organise an urgent inspection. It would track and monitor the outstanding work. It upheld the complaint and awarded £325 in compensation comprising £75 previously awarded at stage 1, £150 for poor complaint handling and £100 for time, trouble and inconvenience caused to the resident to reflect the impact of the delayed work on the resident.
Referral to the Ombudsman	The resident referred his complaint to us on 9 April 2024. As a remedy, the resident wished for the front door to be replaced.

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 landlord’s handling of the resident’s front door replacement request
Finding	Maladministration

The resident told the landlord in his complaint of 10 August 2023 that he initially reported issues with his front door on 17 October 2022. We have seen no record that the landlord raised a works order earlier than on 5 November 2022. It is unclear whether the landlord had a record of this earlier report as we have not seen this. The works order mentioned that the front door was letting in a draught and was damp internally.
We have seen no record that any repairs were completed when an operative attended on 6 January 2023. However, the operative reported that the door needed replacement. The delay in attending the property was not in line with the landlord’s repairs policy which stated at the time that appointed repairs should be undertaken within 28 calendar days.
The landlord chased internally following the resident’s 18 May 2023 email and said that a proforma needed to be completed recommending a replacement front door, but this may not have been sent for approval. It said it had emailed the resident to advise that it had chased the request up.
The resident chased the landlord up again on 17 July 2023 and 17 August 2023. There was a lack of follow up and the landlord’s records evidence that the proforma may still not have been organised which was inappropriate. In response to the resident’s chase ups the landlord arranged for its operative to visit again on 22 August 2023. The landlord then refused to approve a door replacement and said it would complete repairs instead. It told the resident on 5 September 2023 that it had referred this to the repairs team instead. This was almost a year after the resident’s initial report which was unreasonable.
The resident emailed the landlord on 6 September 2023 to ask why the request had been refused. However, the landlord failed to reply until its stage 1 complaint response of 10 October 2023 restating that it would complete repairs instead.
The landlord needed to also ensure that it kept accurate and up-to-date records to help it to monitor the progress of the work needed. We have already recommended that the landlord reviews its self-assessment of its knowledge and information management in a recent determination (reference 202347174). Our Spotlight report on Knowledge and Information Management (May 2023) and follow up report (January 2025) provides recommendations for landlords to improve record keeping practices.
The landlord mentioned in its internal email of 21 September 2023 that its operative had said that no temporary repairs could be completed. This was because the door contained unsafe glass, and it was allowing water to enter the property. However, in the landlord’s internal email of 22 September 2023 it asked its operative to visit the property again to check the door and order parts to repair the door.
The landlord did not complete the repairs to the door until 15 November 2023, over a year after the resident’s report. This delay was unreasonable and not in line with the landlord’s repairing obligations and its repairs policy. The landlord’s revised repairs policy of 4 September 2023 said that appointed repairs should be completed within 28 days for vulnerable residents and within 45 days other residents.
The resident made the landlord aware of the difficulties he had in opening and closing the door due to his disability in his complaint escalation request of 16 January 2024. Given the landlord’s knowledge of this, it needed to respond sooner. Having difficulty in closing and opening the front door which was the main door into the property from the outside, would mean that the door could be insecure. The resident also mentioned his fire safety concerns if he and his children were unable to escape in the event of a fire. These were understandable concerns.
We have seen no record of any risk assessment being undertaken other than the landlord’s acknowledgement that the glass was unsafe as mentioned in its internal email of 21 September 2023. This was inappropriate. We have ordered the landlord to contact the resident so that it can update its records regarding the resident’s vulnerabilities to ensure that future repairs are completed according to its policy on vulnerable residents.
Following the end of the landlord’s internal complaints process, the landlord requested an urgent inspection of the door in its record of 17 March 2024 due to the resident’s reports of it swelling during winter and being dangerous in the event of a fire. However, there was further delay, and the resident felt the need to contact his MP who wrote to the 6 202331975 landlord on 5 April 2024. The landlord told the MP on 15 April 2024 that it had spoken to the resident on same date, and it had agreed to inspect the door again.
The landlord said internally on 16 April 2024 that it did not believe the door needed replacement. However, it subsequently agreed on 25 July 2024 to replace it. The replacement front door was finally fitted on 8 November 2024. This was just over 2 years from the resident’s initial report of the issues with the door.
The Ombudsman considers that these failings amount to maladministration for which orders have been made. The Ombudsman considers that the landlord’s offer of £175 for the time, trouble and inconvenience caused to the resident by the landlord’s poor communication and delays does not sufficiently reflect the identified failings. These include the excessive delays and lack of consideration of the resident’s vulnerability and lack of communication evidenced in this investigation.
After carefully considering our guidance on remedies we have ordered the landlord to pay £450 in compensation (inclusive of the £175 previously awarded). This comprises £250 (inclusive of the £75 offered at stage 1) in respect of the excessive delays and communication failings and £200 (inclusive of the £100 previously awarded) in recognition of the distress and worry, inconvenience time and trouble caused to the resident due to the landlord’s failings.

Complaint	The landlord’s handling of the associated complaint
Finding	Reasonable redress

The resident raised his stage 1 complaint on 10 August 2023. The landlord acknowledged the complaint on 14 August 2023. It also provided an update on 22 August 2023 saying it would update the resident again on 5 September 2023. The landlord provided an update as promised, however, it did not issue its stage 1 complaint response until 10 October 2023, 41 working days after its complaint acknowledgement which was an unreasonable delay.
This was not in line with the landlord’s complaints policy and the Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code (the Code). This requires a stage 1 complaint response to be sent within 10 working days of the acknowledgement being sent.
The resident requested an escalation of his complaint on 16 January 2024. The landlord emailed the resident and tried to phone him on 25 January 2024. It was unable to get through. It was reasonable to attempt a phone call so that the landlord could understand the complaint issues. However, the landlord did not acknowledge or log the complaint escalation request until 28 February 2024, 31 working days after the request was made which was again an unreasonable delay. This was not in line with the landlord’s policy or the Code.
The landlord’s final complaint response was sent on 7 March 2024 which was 37 working days after the resident’s escalation request was made. The delay was inappropriate and not in line with the landlord’s policy or the Code.
We consider the landlord’s actions to put things right where there are complaint handling failings. In this case, the landlord apologised at both stages for the delays in its complaint handling. It offered £150 at stage 2 for the poor complaint handling. The Ombudsman considers that there was reasonable redress in the landlord’s handling of the associated complaint.

Learning

The landlord could have considered some learning from what went wrong, both in term of its management of the repairs and replacement and for its complaint handling. The landlord’s final complaint response did not outline any learning. We have therefore ordered that the landlord complete a review of this case to identify improvements that it can make to prevent similar failings from occurring.

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

Record keeping issues were evident during this investigation that will have impacted on the landlord’s ability to appropriately monitor the completion of the repairs and the door replacement request. There was further delay after the end of the internal complaints process and though the landlord chased the work up internally several times, there were gaps in its follow up actions.

Communication

Despite the resident chasing for updates the landlord’s communication with the resident was poor and there was a lack of response to several of the resident’s requests for updates as above and following the resident’s email of 6 September 2023. The resident advised us that he felt ignored by the landlord which was understandable. This caused unnecessary inconvenience, time and trouble to the resident in having to chase the landlord for updates. This caused unnecessary inconvenience, time and trouble to the resident in having to chase the landlord for updates.