The Riverside Group Limited (202340331)

Background

1. The resident lives in a 2-bedroom house with her husband and child. She reported suspected damp in March and October 2022, and the landlord carried out some repairs, including cleaning the gutter. In March 2023, she reported damp again and mould affecting some of the rooms. The landlord inspected the property and completed a damp survey. Between April 2023 and October 2024, the landlord carried out some internal and external damp works, including to the roof and gutter. The issue remained unresolved until March 2025 when it marked the damp works as complete and carried out a mould wash.  

What the complaint is about

2. The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of:
   1. The resident’s reports of damp and mould.
   2. The associated complaint.

Our decision (determination)

3. We have found that:
   1. There was severe maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould.
   2. There was maladministration in the landlord’s complaint handling.

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

Summary of reasons

The landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp and mould

4. The landlord delayed completing damp and mould works and providing a permanent solution for 3 years, during which time the resident continuously reported the condition of the property had deteriorated. The landlord missed appointments, and the resident had to chase updates repeatedly, due to poor communication and record keeping. The resident’s whole home was affected, and unplanned works disrupted the resident’s daily life and the enjoyment of the home. The landlord did not follow its repairs policy or learn from the complaint which left the resident inconvenienced for a prolonged period of time even after its final response. It didn’t offer compensation to acknowledge the impact and as such it missed an opportunity to put things right for the resident.

The complaint handling

5. The landlord did not keep proper records and did not provide a copy of the resident’s stage 1 complaint. As a result, we could not confirm whether it responded on time or addressed all concerns. It did not follow its own policy or our Complaint Handling Code (the Code) and incorrectly closed the stage 1 complaint. It delayed its stage 2 response which took almost 5 months after we intervened. The landlord failed to agree extensions with the resident, offer redress, or show learning from these delays.

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.

Our investigation

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.

6. The resident reported to us rodent issues and a damaged tree stump following scaffolding being erected. She explained that this was relevant to the landlord’s handling of the damp and mould. However, it is not clear when this happened. While we have seen the resident discussed holes in the kitchen with the landlord during its stage 2, we have seen no evidence these concerns were raised during the landlord’s formal complaint process. In the interest of fairness, we are only looking at the issues that have been raised through the landlord’s process and where the landlord had an opportunity to respond.
7. The evidence shows reports of damp and mould were raised in the living room on 24 March 2022. The landlord acted timely and attended the property on 1 April 2022, in line with its repairs policy for routine repairs within 28 days. It completed some repairs to the overflowing gutters and some membrane damp work to the ground floor that month and in May 2022.
8. The resident reported issues with the structure and the brickwork in October 2022, and the landlord noted pointing was needed, but there is no evidence that this work was raised at the time and was completed until 12 April 2023. Additionally, there is no evidence of any comprehensive damp and mould survey being arranged at the time of these reports.
9. The resident raised further concerns about damp and mould on internal and external walls on 6 March 2023. The landlord attended the same day, in line with its repairs policy. It arranged a damp survey, which its contractor completed on 4 April 2023. While this was a positive step, it occurred more than a year after the initial damp report which was an unreasonable delay.
10. There is no evidence the landlord clearly communicated the survey results or next steps, contrary to our Spotlight Report guidance which recommends the landlords to provide clear communication about survey results and next steps. We have also seen evidence of further inspections, ineffective works arrangements and communication leading to multiple attendances which were not fully justified and explained.
11. In its stage 1 response from July 2023, the landlord said it finished damp works. However, we have seen evidence of outstanding works related to the guttering, mould in living room and damp on the adjoining wall, some of which were not carried out until October 2024. This indicates poor oversight and record keeping and questions the accuracy of the landlord’s investigation. Additionally, this caused frustration to the resident and undermined the landlord’s ability to fairly respond and deal with her concerns. 
12. In September 2023, the resident continued reporting damp and mould and said this had also affected 1 of the bedrooms. An operative noted the issue was caused by penetrating damp from a shared gutter with her neighbour. The landlord raised several jobs and promised scaffolding, but this was not erected until March 2024, 4 months after the job was closed in November 2023 following works to the neighbour’s gutter.
13. These error in closing the job and not dealing with her concerns led to the resident escalating her complaint in November 2023. This further inconvenienced her by having to report the repairs multiple times. She reported damp and mould in every room on 17 January 2024. The landlord carried out mould washes in several rooms on 30 January 2024 which were appropriate interim measures, but there’s no evidence it provided notice of the appointment to the resident. It promised roof repairs but didn’t attend as scheduled, which was unreasonable.
14. The resident’s concerns persisted throughout March 2024 about gutter problems, damp and a blocked TV signal due to scaffolding. She also said that the scaffolding was erected without any works attended. This shows there were further delays and inconvenience caused. It is unclear from the landlord’s record how long the scaffold stayed for. We have seen evidence that some works were delayed and not completed due to asbestos checks. However, the checks were completed in April 2024 and the landlord noted that it had erected another scaffold in September and October 2024. This again demonstrates that the landlord did not effectively manage the works which resulted either in prolonged period of scaffolding being erected or multiple attendances.
15. Furthermore, the landlord attended in April 2024 without notice and started works in the kitchen, living room and bathroom. The resident said this caused her distress as her family, including her 4–year–old son, had to live in 2 rooms without warning for a week. She reported to the landlord she didn’t have access to all her possessions or essential rooms within her home during this time. The landlord did not evidence that it had considered a temporary move, which would have been reasonable given the scale of works or would have explained its decision. This was considerable failing on the landlord’s side given there was a young child at the property.
16. We asked the landlord for an update on outstanding works during this investigation. The landlord confirmed it completed the roof and gutter repairs on 22 October 2024 as part of its damp resolution. Mould washes continued into March 2025 when it marked the damp work as complete. In September 2025, the landlord said it conducted a 6-month damp and mould check, and the resident confirmed the issue was resolved. While resolution is positive, the resident experienced considerable detriment over a 3-year period due to the landlord’s failings. This was considerably outside the landlord’s published timeframes for repairs. 
17. Overall, we found evidence that the resident experienced prolonged and significant inconvenience and distress during this 3 years period including:
    1. Loss of enjoyment of the property, with multiple rooms affected, including the kitchen, living room, 1 bedroom and bathroom, including the inconvenience caused by the scaffolding.
    2. The landlord carried out works without prior notice, which caused distress and inconvenience to the resident.
    3. Planned works were not completed as scheduled by the landlord or in line with its policy. This caused the resident distress and inconvenience.
    4. Poor communication and record keeping by the landlord, requiring the resident to chase updates repeatedly.
    5. The resident had a 4-year-old child at the time of the complaint, and she said her child had to stay elsewhere when the landlord applied a mould wash throughout her home.
    6. She said she incurred increased heating costs and time off work for appointments, which we have not seen the landlord addressed. We have seen evidence on 10 April 2024 the landlord advised the resident to include those in a compensation claim together with further reports of damages. However, we have not seen it considered this through its discretionary compensation process or provided any insurance advice and assistance for a liability insurance claim. 
18. In this case the landlord acknowledged only the delays in the repairs in its stage 2 response and the failure to appropriately investigate the repair at stage 1. While it provided a list of its action and the repairs previously logged and those which were planned, it failed to acknowledge the full period of time, its poor communication, record keeping failures and the unannounced visits. It did not offer any compensation to acknowledge the impact on the resident and the household as a result of its failures. It did not follow up on its complaint response timely and took about another year after the stage 2 response (from 9 April 2024 to 6 March 2025) to complete fully the repairs.
19. As such, it could not demonstrate that it has taken any learning from the complaint to avoid any failures as such from happening in future or attempted to put things right for the resident. It did not effectively use its dispute resolution process and missed an opportunity to provide a fair outcome. We have ordered compensation for loss of enjoyment of her home, distress, and inconvenience. We also issued a learning order.

20. The landlord’s policy says it must acknowledge and try to resolve stage 1 complaints within 5 working days and respond within 10 days. For stage 2, it must contact the resident the next day and give a full response within 10 days. This does not fully mirror our Complaint Handling Code (the Code) which allows a response at stage 2 to be provided within 20 working days.
21. The landlord didn’t provide any evidence of the resident’s initial complaint, so we cannot confirm if it met policy timeframes. This is a record-keeping failure. The landlord acknowledged stage 1 on 14 July 2023 and responded on 20 July 2023, which is within its policy timeframes from acknowledgment.
22. The resident escalated her complaint on 14 November 2023. The landlord acknowledged the complaint on 16 November 2023, in line with its policy. It said it would respond by 12 December 2023, however its repairs policy says it should respond in 10 days. In line with its policy the landlord therefore should have responded by 30 November 2023, however the Code allows additional 10 working days. Despite those prescriptions, the landlord didn’t respond until 9 April 2024, and after our intervention. This was almost 5 months late and significantly outside policy and the Code.
23. The landlord’s compensation policy says it should offer compensation when there is clear failure or delay. While it acknowledged failures it did not specify what these were and did not recognise the impact on the resident by offering compensation. As such it missed an early chance to put things right during its complaints process. Furthermore, there were some inconsistencies and errors in its investigation where it stated that repairs were completed but they were not. This caused additional confusion and frustration to the resident. This also raised concerns about the accuracy of its investigation, communication and records.

Learning

Knowledge information management (record keeping)

24. Poor record-keeping can lead to ineffective complaint handling, and we have seen some issues within the complaints process. Without proper records, the landlord cannot consistently investigate thoroughly or address the impact on residents. Furthermore, we identified issues with the repairs records and the feedback left from contractors on completion of works which caused some issue with closing outstanding works.

Communication

25. The landlord didn’t adequately oversee its contractors, which may have contributed to the identified failings. It was not proactive in communicating with the resident, who had to request updates. The landlord should review how it can improve communication about repairs with both its contractors and residents. Due to the severity of the failing and the lack of acknowledgement we have made a learning order.