Did you know that LiveWest is a member of the Housing Ombudsman Service? The Housing Ombudsman is a free and impartial service set up to investigate complaints made by customers about their housing provider. You can ask the Housing Ombudsman for advice and support at any time, including accessing their website which has lots of useful information. You can also ask the Housing Ombudsman to carry out a formal review of how we have handled your complaint once we have concluded our investigations.
The Housing Ombudsman publishes the outcome of their formal complaint reviews on their website. The reviews are published three months after the decision date. Between April and June 2021, there have been three formal determinations issued by the Housing Ombudsman relating to LiveWest complaints. A summary of each determination is shown below.
Determination 1
The customer contacted us in September 2018 to enquire abut the possibility of installing a wood burning stove. An alteration form was sent out to the customer. The customer completed the form in May 2019 letting us know that the anticipated installation date was 30 June 2019. On 11 June 2019, we refused the request explaining that we do not permit an open fire appliance in a property with full gas central heating. The customer explained that she had incurred costs for preliminary works. As part of our complaint investigation, several options were offered to the customer such as reinstating the original fire surround or contributing towards an electric fire. The customer asked the Housing Ombudsman to investigate. The Ombudsman determined that there was maladministration in the way we handled the complaint. The ombudsman confirmed that we were entitled to refuse permission to install a wood burning stove but felt that the request form and covering letter gave rise to a reasonable expectation that permission would be granted. We have complied with the orders as instructed by the Housing Ombudsman. We have subsequently updated the Customer Alterations policy which you can access here. We have also reviewed internal processes to ensure we communicate policy changes with all customers who may be affected by the change.
Determination 2
The customer contacted us in 2017 to carry out a repair to the composite back door. Following the repair, the maintenance technician reported that a cat flap had been cut into the back door invalidating the warranty. In 2020, the customer contacted us about a further issue with the back door. The maintenance technician reported that the door was warped and unable to be adjusted; the door would need to be replaced. We wrote to the customer explaining that the installation of the cat flap had invalidated the warranty, it had been installed without consent and the cost of replacing the door would be recharged to the customer. If the door was left as it was, the cost would be recharged when the customer left the property. The customer told us that verbal permission had been given by the housing officer prior to the customer moving into the property. Our complaint investigation concluded that permission had not been granted in writing and the cost of replacing the door would be recharged to the customer. The customer asked the Housing Ombudsman to investigate. The Ombudsman concluded that in the absence of written permission, it was unable to conclude that the housing officer gave any definitive assurances about installing a cat flap. The tenancy agreement is clear that written permission must be sought by the customer before any alterations are commenced. The Ombudsman concluded their investigation and determined that there was no maladministration or service failure in the handling of our decision to recharge the cost of a new back door to the customer.
Determination 3
The customer contacted us in January 2020 to report a leak following work to install a new bathroom. The customer complained that several personal items had been damaged. We returned to fix the leak and repair any damaged areas. The customer asked for compensation for the damaged personal items. This was considered as part of the complaint investigation and an offer was made to the customer. The complaint was escalated to stage 2 of the complaints process but the final compensation amount offered was not accepted by the customer. The Housing Ombudsman reviewed the complaint and determined there was no maladministration but did find service failure in the handling of the request for compensation. The Ombudsman increased the amount of compensation to be offered to the customer. We have complied with the orders as instructed by the Housing Ombudsman. We have provided information to the customer about how the customer can make a claim via our insurer. We are also reviewing internal guidance regarding the calculation of compensation payments.
The full investigation reports are available to view on the Housing Ombudsman website. The next publication by the Housing Ombudsman is due in October. We will publish a summary of any LiveWest complaint determinations by the end of November 2021.