Decision Report 201404332

Summary

Mrs A moved to a different council property because her previous property was due to be demolished. When she began redecorating, she found that the living room and bedroom walls were damp. Various inspector visits took place but Mrs A was not satisfied that reasonable repairs had taken place and she complained to the council. The council admitted fault and refunded most, but not all, the rent Mrs A had paid. Mrs A remained unhappy about the condition of her property and the rent situation, and Mr C complained to us on Mrs A's behalf.

We concluded that Mrs A's property had not been watertight when it was let to her, and that there had been an unreasonable delay by the council in repairing the roof. We also considered that the council could have more clearly explained to Mrs A why she was not entitled to a full refund of rent, and we recommended an apology and a goodwill payment to recognise that the repair work should have been done quicker. We did not uphold Mrs A's complaint about the council's refusal to undertake a comprehensive programme of works at her property.

Recommendations

We recommended that the council:

• acknowledge and apologise to Mrs A for allocating her a property which was not watertight, and for the stress she experienced due to this; and
• make a payment of redress to Mrs A of the equivalent of two months' rent.