Overview
The complainant (Mrs C) said that a faulty boiler in her kitchen caused soot damage to her property requiring redecoration and the replacement of blinds and curtains. She complained that her claim for the recovery of expenses incurred as a result of this was dismissed by her landlord, Hillcrest Housing Association (the Association) without adequate investigation. Mrs C also expressed her dissatisfaction with the Association's complaints handling. She complained that some of her letters were not responded to and that she did not receive copies of letters that the Association advised had been sent.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that:
- (a) the Association failed to adequately investigate damage to Mrs C's property (partially upheld to the extent that more could have been done to investigate the actual source of Mrs C's soot problem); and
- (b) the Association's complaints handling was poor (not upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Association:
- (i) introduce a policy of seeking third party liability determination for all compensation claims where the claimant is claiming amounts that are higher than the insurance policy excess and for all claims that require expert technical opinion; and
- (ii) consider asking their insurers to reinvestigate Mrs C's claim.
The Association have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.