PSOW Individual Decisions

Mr A complained that a shed he had been provided with by Ateb Group Ltd, as redress for previous heating issues, had not been installed correctly and he had been unable to use it as intended. The Ombudsman decided that there had been a failure in communication between the Housing Association and Mr A and the Housing Association had not been clear on what it could provide. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Housing Association’s agreement that, within 1 calendar month, it would write to Mr A to apologise for the lack of clear communication and address other outstanding issues in relation to the shed.

Mrs A complained about a recurring drainage issue which caused her toilet to become blocked. She said that repair works had been carried out, which included fitting a blanking plate to manhole F12b, but this had failed to resolve the issue. The Ombudsman decided that the repair works which had been carried out had not fully addressed the issues which Mrs A experienced. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained Ateb Group Ltd.’s agreement that within 4 weeks it would: 1. Contact Mrs A to discuss the further works as recommended in the Deflo Job Service Report dated 4 February 2025. 2. Following the discussion, provide Mrs A with a schedule and timeline of the planned works, so she is aware of the works being undertaken and when the required works will be complete. 3. Offer Mrs A an ex-gratia payment of £1,250.

Mr X complained that the Association had failed to collect neighbourhoods waste, despite contacting them in October 2021. The Ombudsman was concerned that Mr X had not received a response from the Association and contacted the Association to resolve. As an alternative to an investigation, the Association apologised to Mr X for not resolving his complaint back in October 2021, and have agreed to treat his complaint under its Stage 1 complaints procedure. The Ombudsman accepted this as a resolution of Mr X’s complaint.

Mr X said that the Housing Association did not consider his complaint in line with its complaints policy. The Ombudsman found that there had been a delay on the part of the Housing Association in formally dealing with the complaint. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Housing Association’s agreement to make an offer of compensation of £250 to Mr X within 20 working days.