SPSO Individual Decisions

Mr C complained about his housing association's response to reports of anti-social behaviour and their response to his request for a repair. We found that the association had spoken to neighbours and the caretaker to gather more information on Mr C's reports of anti-social behaviour. We also found that the association had appropriately informed Mr C of the outcome of their investigations. However, we were critical that they did not contact Police Scotland to find out what information they held, as Mr C had passed on a police incident number. We upheld this aspect of Mr C's complaint. We found that the repair request was actioned appropriately and we did not uphold that aspect of the complaint.

Mr C complained that the housing association did not respond reasonably to the complaints of smoke that he brought to their attention. We found that the association responded reasonably and in line with the requirements of their Repairs Policy and Complaints Procedure. We also felt that the association were particularly supportive of Mr C's requests for appointments at a time that suited him. However, we made a recommendation as we considered that the association could be clearer about whose responsibility it is to report concerns about a gas appliance.

Ms C complained that when she had taken up her tenancy, her flat had been suffering from water ingress. She said the association had been aware of this problem prior to the allocation of the property. She also complained that although it had been agreed that she should not pay rent until the problem was resolved, she had been forced to pay, with only a small reduction in rent offered by the association. Throughout her tenancy, the association had failed to return her calls and had failed to attend appointments without explanation, causing her inconvenience and unnecessary expense. Our investigation found the association had responded reasonably to Ms C's complaint of water ingress. There was also no evidence that the association were aware of the problem prior to allocation. We also found there was no evidence of any agreement that Ms C should withhold her rent, or evidence that she had formally informed the association that this was her intention. We did find that the association, whilst acknowledging the poor communication with Ms C, had failed to demonstrate they had taken action to improve their responsiveness to residents, so we upheld Ms C's complaint about their communication.