Housing Associations

Overview

The complainant (Mrs C) raised a number of concerns about her housing circumstances, specifically in relation to the condition her current maisonette was in when allocated to her in 2004, to the attitude of a Housing Officer who visited her home and at the failure of the Glasgow Housing Association (the Association) to rehouse her husband and herself.

Specific complaints and conclusions

The complaints which have been investigated are that:

• (a) the Association offered Mr and Mrs C their present home in May 2004 with poor flooring (not upheld);
• (b) the Association did not properly investigate Mrs C's complaints about the attitude of a Housing Officer who visited her home on 29 July 2005 (not upheld); and
• (c) the only offers of permanent rehousing made by the Association have been unsuitable (not upheld).

Redress and recommendation

The Ombudsman has no specific recommendation to make.

Overview

The complainant (Mr C) was concerned that he had not been given help to redecorate his Housing Association owned flat, despite his disability and their policy that disabled tenants should be offered help.

Specific complaint and conclusion

The complaint from Mr C which I have investigated is that Mr C was not given help with redecoration costs to which he was entitled as a result of his disability (partially upheld).

Redress and recommendations

The Ombudsman recommends that the Housing Association:

• (i) apologise to Mr C for failing to inform him that he may have been able to ask for the Housing Association to carry out the decoration works required in the bathroom, for which he had been given a decoration allowance; and
• (ii) ensure tenants in receipt of a decoration allowance are aware that there may be additional help available with undertaking the decoration itself.

The Housing Association have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.

Overview

The complainant (Mr C) has raised a variety of complaints with this office regarding his tenancy and the handling of his complaint by Paragon Housing Association (the Association).  The three main points of Mr C's complaint have been investigated.

Specific complaints and conclusions

The complaints which have been investigated are:

• (a) failure of the Association to identify that a load-bearing wall was missing (not upheld);
• (b) the manner in which the load-bearing wall was rebuilt (not upheld); and
• (c) handling and responding to complaint (not upheld).

Redress and recommendation

The Ombudsman has no recommendations.

Overview

This complaint concerns Muirhouse Housing Association's (the Association) response to the complainant (Ms C)'S request for action to be taken to prevent the use of a boundary wall by local children.

Specific complaints and conclusions

The complaints which have been investigated are that:

• (a) the Association failed to prevent people climbing over the boundary wall which adjoins Ms C's garden to access the adjacent site (not upheld); and
• (b) the Association failed to ensure Ms C's garden was secure (not upheld).

Redress and Recommendation

The Ombudsman has no recommendations to make.

The complainant raised concerns that she repeatedly had to report problems with her property to Hillcrest Housing Association (the Association) before they were dealt with. She complained that she experienced long delays before necessary repairs were carried out.

Overview

The complainant (Miss C)raised two specific concerns regarding the conduct and recording of business at the 2004 and 2005 annual general meetings of Partick Housing Association Ltd (the Association).

Specific complaints and conclusions

The complaints which have been investigated are that:

• (a)  the minute of the Association's 2004 annual general meeting was inaccurate (upheld); and
• (b)  the Chair of the Association had failed to give an assurance that the minute of the 2005 annual general meeting would record her representations (not upheld).

Redress and recommendations

The Ombudsman recommends that the Association takes steps to publicise to their shareholders the principles of their minute-taking at annual general meetings.  The Association informed the Ombudsman that they were willing to accept the recommendation.

Overview

The complainant raised concerns about the standard of maintenance service provided for the communal landscaped area around her home.

Specific complaint and conclusion

The complaint which has been investigated is that the Association failed to provide an acceptable maintenance service for the communal landscaped area around Ms C's home (upheld).

Redress and recommendation

The Ombudsman recommends that the Housing Association ensure that the communal garden area is maintained in accordance with the terms of the ground maintenance specification.

Overview

The complainants (Mr and Mrs C) complained that, despite their paying a regular service charge, Loreburn Housing Association (the Housing Association) has failed to maintain properly the communal garden ground around their house.

Specific complaint and conclusion

The complaint which has been investigated is the failure of the Housing Association to maintain properly the communal garden ground (not upheld).

Redress and recommendations

The Ombudsman has no recommendations to make.

The complainant (Mr C) raised a number of concerns regarding the costs in remittance invoices of landscaping works, mistakes in invoices and the quality of information supplied by Thenew Housing Association (the Association).

Overview

The complainant alleged that Charing Cross Housing Association Ltd (the Association) had failed to identify and repair a potential leak above his flat over the last 7 years.

Specific complaint and conclusion

The complaint which has been investigated is about the alleged failure of the Association to identify and repair a potential leak above Mr C’s flat (not upheld).

Redress and Recommendation

The Ombudsman recommends that the Association continues to follow the current course of action they have communicated to Mr C in relation to the potential leak.