Miss P complained that since moving into her property over 10 years previously, she had experienced issues with intrusive smells coming from other flats. She said she had been reporting it since 2015 but that the Housing Association had failed to fully resolve the problem. In February 2023 work was undertaken which resolved the problem in her bathroom, but she complained that the same issue remained in her kitchen. She said that she did not believe that the Housing Association’s offer to remove some units and review the pipe seals would resolve the problem, and that more extensive works were necessary. She also complained that the complaint response did not consider the length of time that she had been complaining and that it overlooked informal communications about the problems and disregarded other evidence she held. She said that some of the comments made by the investigating officer were patronising and snide.
The Ombudsman was concerned that the Housing Association had failed to request relevant information from Miss P when carrying out its investigation. Although the Ombudsman considered that the Housing Association’s offer to re-inspect pipework in Miss P’s kitchen represented a reasonable response, it was understandable why Miss P felt that her concerns had not been adequately addressed and was reluctant to accept the resolution offered.
In order to settle the complaint, the Housing Association agreed to apologise to Miss P for failing to request all the relevant evidence she had regarding the complaint, to consider as part of its investigation. It also agreed, provided that Miss P consented, to inspect the pipe seals with a view to carrying out any further works necessary to provide a long term solution.