PSOW Individual Decisions

Mr X complained that Hafod Housing Association had failed to respond to the complaint he submitted in July 2023 regarding a water leak in his kitchen. Mr X further complained about outstanding repair works to his flooring. The Ombudsman decided that there had been delays and oversights in respect of the complaint response from Hafod. She said this caused frustration and uncertainty to Mr X. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained Hafod’s agreement to issue its complaint response within 2 weeks. The response should also include an apology for the delay, an update on the planned works, and a redress payment of £150 in recognition of the delay and need to approach the Ombudsman.

Ms E complained that Hafod Housing Association failed to renew her rotted front door and frame and it failed to respond to her complaint. The Ombudsman found that the Association’s system failed to generate the formal complaint raised via its Hafod 24/7 mobile app. She found this caused additional frustration to Ms E. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. She sought and gained the Association’s agreement to apologise to Ms E for the system oversight, to explain the events which have occurred since her initial request and the actions it will now take to resolve her concerns. It agreed to undertake these actions within two weeks.

Miss L complained that the Association failed to resolve her concerns regarding waste and maintenance around her property. She further complained that the Association failed to carry out works within her property and failed to issue a complaint response. The Ombudsman concluded that although the Association had actioned some of the concerns Miss L raised, it had failed to follow up the concerns, and failed to act in accordance with its statutory complaint’s procedure. She said this caused frustration to Miss L. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Associations agreement to provide Miss L with an apology for the delay in responding, issue a complaint response, and action necessary works to and around Miss L’s property. The Association agreed to action this within 30 working days.

Mr A complained about dampness in the property and his concerns about access to the upper part of the garden. Mr A had complained to Hafod Housing Association, but he said it had failed to complete works previously agreed. Whilst the Ombudsman noted Mr A had asked Hafod Housing Association to install steps to the upper part of the garden and a fence between the neighbouring property, she considered Hafod Housing Association had provided a reasonable explanation as to why this could not occur. The Ombudsman was particularly concerned to learn that despite its previous assurance, Hafod Housing Association had failed to install a new radiator in the downstairs bathroom to alleviate the dampness issue. As an alternative to investigating the complaint, the Ombudsman made recommendations which Hafod Housing Association agreed to implement. Hafod Housing Association agreed to install a radiator in the kitchen of the property, issue a letter of apology and offer Mr A redress of £100 for the delay and frustration this had caused. All these actions would be within 30 working days.

Miss F complained about Hafod Housing Association’s handling of her complaint about overgrown grass. The Ombudsman found that whilst the Housing Association had responded to Miss F’s concerns, it had failed to log her concerns as a formal complaint. She said that this caused uncertainty to Miss F. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Housing Association’s agreement to write to Miss F with an apology for the failure to properly log her concerns and issue a formal complaint response within 2 weeks.

Mrs F complained that Hafod Housing Association failed to provide a response to her complaint about a broken fence. The Ombudsman found that there had been a delay in the Housing Association issuing a complaint response. Furthermore, the Housing Association had not provided regular and meaningful updates and had not progressed Mrs F’s concerns due to an administrative error. She said that this caused frustration and uncertainty to Mrs F. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Housing Association’s agreement to provide the necessary apologies and explanations to Mrs F for the oversights, replace the fence and issue a complaint response within 3 weeks.

Ms S complained that Hafod Housing Association failed to address her concerns and failed to resolve the issue of faecal matters in and around her property. The Ombudsman concluded that the Association failed to communicate with Ms S and failed to provide her with any updates. She said this caused frustration to Ms S. As an alternative to an investigation, the Ombudsman sought and gained the Associations agreement to provide Ms S with an apology for the communication errors, an explanation for the delays encountered, and an update surrounding timeframes for works to begin. The Association agreed that it would action the above within 30 working days.

Ms D complained about Hafod Housing Association’s handling of her complaint about the lack of hot water from her bath taps. The Ombudsman decided that the Association had failed to respond to Ms D’s emails of complaint. She said that this caused frustration and uncertainty to Ms D. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Association’s agreement to provide Ms D with an apology and explanation for the delay, offer her redress of £100 and issue a complaint response within 4 weeks.

Ms L complained that the Housing Association failed to provide a complaint response about the concerns she raised in December 2022. Ms L further complained that outstanding repairs had not been actioned despite promises to do so. The Ombudsman concluded that the Association failed to issue a complaint response and had not kept Ms L updated with any repairs required. She said this caused frustration to Ms L. As an alternative to an investigation, The Ombudsman sought and gained the Association’s agreement to apologise to Ms L, issue a complaint response and provide an update on the outstanding repair issues within 30 working days.

Ms X complained that Hafod Housing Association failed to complete outstanding repairs to resolve damp, mould and electrical issues at her property. The Ombudsman decided that there had been shortcomings in the Associations handling of the complaint and concluded that it had closed Ms X’s complaint without first receiving the survey report. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Association’s agreement to issue Ms X with an apology and pay her redress of £100 within 3 weeks.

Ms Z complained that Hafod Housing Association had failed to carry out the repairs needed in her property and had not responded to her complaint. The Ombudsman decided that there had been a delay by the Association to carry out the work required. This caused delays and frustration for Ms Z. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Association’s agreement to apologise to Ms Z and provide her with a complaint response which includes a schedule of works within 4 weeks.

Mr B complained that Hafod Housing Association had informed the Ombudsman that he had not made a complaint to it, but it had provided him with a complaint response. The Ombudsman found that the Association had provided inaccurate information to her office, and it had prematurely referred Mr B to complain to her office before he had received a full and final complaint response. She said that this caused frustration for Mr B and had inconvenienced him. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Association’s agreement to apologise to Mr B, provide a full and final complaint response to him, and make a £50 redress payment within 6 weeks.

Mr A complained that Hafod Housing Association had failed to arrange for a surveyor to attend his home to assess the issues he was experiencing with flooding in his garden. In making enquiries with the Association the Ombudsman was informed that a visit had now been arranged, however, the Ombudsman decided that there had been a considerable delay by the Association to find a surveyor. She said that this caused delays and frustration for Mr A who was unable to use his garden. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Association’s agreement to apologise to Mr A and provide him with a plan of action within two weeks of the completed survey.

Mr T complained that Hafod Housing Association had failed to resolve his complaint about housing repair issues. The Housing Association said it was awaiting completion of the repair works before issuing its complaint response. The Housing Association said that repair works have now been undertaken to the rainwater downpipe and rainwater gullet. The Ombudsman noted the Housing Association had taken some action, but considered it would be helpful for Mr T to receive a complaint response. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Housing Association’s agreement to apologise to Mr T, provide an explanation for the failure to provide a complaint response, and to issue a complaint response within 2 weeks.

Mrs T complained that Hafod Housing Association had failed to resolve her complaint about a faulty shower which leaked through to her kitchen ceiling causing a hole. The Ombudsman decided that the Housing Association had failed to provide a complaint response to Mrs T. She said this caused frustration and uncertainty to Mrs T. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Housing Association’s agreement to apologise to Mrs T, provide an explanation for the failure to provide a complaint response, and to issue a complaint response within 4 weeks.

Mrs X complained that Hafod Housing Association failed to complete outstanding repairs at her home. She also complained about the lack of response to her complaint. The Ombudsman found that the Housing Association was unclear about the outstanding repairs required, and that there had been a delay in responding to Mrs X’s complaint. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Housing Association’s agreement to instruct a surveyor to attend Ms X’s home to list the outstanding repairs, provide a timeline for the repairs to be completed, and offer an apology to Ms X for the delayed response within twenty-one days.

Mr X complained that the Association did not respond to his complaint about outstanding works to his garden, which he alleges it verbally agreed to undertake to make it safe for his child. The Ombudsman contacted the Association, and it agreed to provide a response to Mr X’s complaint within 2 weeks. It also agreed to apologise to Mr X for the delay in providing its response. The Ombudsman considered this to be a sufficient resolution as an alternative to investigating the complaint.

Mr X complained that despite making several complaints to the Association, it had failed to address his concerns in a timely manner. Mr X further complained that the Association failed to keep him updated regarding his concerns and he had not received a formal response. In assessing Mr X’s complaint, the Ombudsman was concerned that he had encountered significant delays and not yet received a formal response to his concerns. As an alternative to an investigation, the Ombudsman contacted the Association and it agreed to provide Mr X with a redress amount totalling to £150. The Association also agreed that it would provide Mr X with a full response and apology by 16 September 2022. The Ombudsman accepted this as a resolution to Mr X’s complaint.

Miss X complained that a refund owed to her from the Association’s window cleaning services had not yet been refunded to her. Miss X also complained that despite putting a formal complaint to the Association, she had yet to receive a response. The Ombudsman was concerned that Miss X had yet to receive a response from the Association, and that she had also encountered delays in receiving a due refund. As an alternative to an investigation, the Ombudsman contacted the Association and it agreed that it would issue Miss X with an apology letter for the lack of communication by 30 August 2022. The Association also agreed that it would refund the amount that Miss X is owed, along with a time and trouble payment, amounting to a payment of £100 by 30 August 2022. The Ombudsman accepted this as a resolution to Miss X’s complaint.

Miss X complained that the Association failed to communicate the reported issues within her property and that she had encountered significant delays in having repairs actioned. The Ombudsman was concerned that Miss X had encountered delays in having repairs actioned and was still left with outstanding repairs on her property. As an alternative to an investigation, the Ombudsman contacted the Association, and it agreed the following. To issue Miss X with a written apology for the delays she has encountered by 5 August 2022. It also agreed that it would raise all orders for Miss X’s property and schedule a contractor to visit the property to agree on specifications by 19 August 2022, and to communicate  a timeframe for the scheduled works and appointments with Miss X by 30 August2022. The Ombudsman accepted this as a resolution of Miss X’s complaint.

Mr X complained about an alleged leaking garage roof, and damaged personal items. He also complained about a lack of communication with the Association’s contractors who he alleges cancels appointments without notice very late in the day. The Ombudsman decided that the Association should provide Mr X with a formal written response (within 3 weeks) to address his concerns. The Ombudsman considered this to be an appropriate resolution to the complaint instead of conducting an investigation.

Mr A complained that Hafod Housing Association (“Hafod”) had failed to communicate with him about a water ingress through his balcony and had failed to resolve the issue. The Ombudsman found that Mr A had first reported the issue over 12 months prior to Mr A submitting his complaint to his office, but the issue had not been resolved. He also found that Hafod had arranged a full survey of the building, and that it would be undertaking remedial works once in receipt of the surveyor’s report. Further, Hafod had contacted Mr A to apologise for the lack of communication and the delay in remedying the issue. In respect of the damage caused to Mr A’s property and in recognition of the poor communication and delay in undertaking the repairs, the Ombudsman sought and gained Hafod’s agreement to undertake the following: Upon completion of the repair works to resolve the water ingress at Mr A’s property – Provide him with a decorating pack or arrange for a contractor to undertake the redecoration works, dependent on Mr A’s preference. Within 10 working days – Make a financial redress payment of £200 (the equivalent of his annual maintenance charge) to Mr A in recognition of the poor communication and delay in undertaking the repairs.

Mr X complained that he and his wife, who are both severely disabled, were left with no heating or hot water for several days due to a broken boiler. The Ombudsman noted that the Association had difficulty in procuring a part for the boiler and that it had offered Mr X alternative heating at the time. He decided that the Association should provide Mr X with a further written response (within 4 weeks) which should include a fulsome apology for the inconvenience. It should also offer Mr X a financial redress payment of £125.00 for the inconvenience, time, and trouble in pursuing this matter with the Ombudsman. In addition to the above, the Association should also complete its review of its repairs and breakdown procedure. This should be completed within the next 2 months. The Ombudsman considered this to be an appropriate resolution to the complaint instead of conducting an investigation.

Mrs X complained about ongoing issues in relation to the boiler at her property, that it was not working efficiently, that the Association had not addressed the issues and that it had not acknowledged her complaint. The Ombudsman was concerned about the delays Mrs X had experienced and that she had been inconvenienced by the organisation’s actions. He decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought, and gained, the Association’s agreement to carry out the following actions by 11 January 2022: • Record Mrs X’s complaint as a formal complaint. • Provide Mrs X with an apology for the delay in responding to her complaint. • Provide Mrs X with an explanation for the delay. • Provide Mrs X with a complaint response, incorporating details of the work already carried out and any outstanding work required, if appropriate.

Mr X complained that Hafod Housing Association (“Hafod”) failed to carry out urgent repairs to Mr X’s windows. Mr X felt that this left his property insecure and vulnerable to bad weather. Mr X also raised concerns about the lack of response to his complaint. The Ombudsman decided that Hafod should (within 3 weeks) provide Mr X with a written apology for not responding to his complaint sooner. It would also attend his property to check that the windows are secure before their replacement as planned maintenance in 2022. The Ombudsman considered this to be an appropriate resolution to the complaint instead of conducting an investigation.