PSOW Individual Decisions

Mr X complained that he was being charged by the Association for cleaning services that he was not regularly receiving. In considering the complaint the Ombudsman was concerned that Mr X had not been properly advised of the Association’s complaints process and was subsequently inconvenienced by the Association’s actions. Asa result of the identified concerns and in settlement of Mr X’s complaint the Association has agreed, by 18 October 2021, to a) Provide Mr X with an apology for the misinformation regarding the complaint’s procedure; b) Provide Mr X with a stage two complaint response; c) Provide Mr X with £50 for the time and trouble he spent raising concerns.

Mrs M complained that Monmouthshire Housing Association had not fulfilled its obligations as her landlord, as it hadn’t appropriately maintained her outside storage. She said that due to the storage being in bad repair, and having items from the previous tenant still inside, she was not able to use it, and as such two bikes belonging to her had been stolen from outside her flat. The Housing Association said that it was aware of the issues with the storage and upgrades were scheduled, but due to unavoidable delays, including Covid-19 and drainage issues, there had been a delay in upgrading the storage, but this had now been done. It stated that it would not have been liable for the theft of the bikes even if they had been stolen from the storage, but acknowledged that if the storage had been in good repair, the bikes may have been safer there. The Housing Association agreed to make a goodwill payment of £300 to Mrs M to go towards replacing the bikes.

Mr X’s main complaint was that the Monmouthshire Housing Association (“the Housing Association”) delayed in identifying and remedying a wood worm infestation at his property. The Ombudsman found that the problem had been ongoing for over 18 months for several reasons beyond Mr X’s control. The Ombudsman also found evidence to suggest that the problem could potentially have been avoided and that a post work completion survey had not been carried out before Mr X and his family moved into the property. Although, the Housing Association had already apologised and offered Mr X a goodwill gesture payment, the Ombudsman did not consider that the offer was in line with his levels of financial redress. He decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. The Ombudsman sought and gained the Housing Association’s agreement to pay Mr X redress of £400 within 1 month.