Social landlord L&Q has been ordered to pay tenants more than £140,000 in compensation following an investigation by the housing ombudsman.
L&Q, which rents out more than 105,000 homes in England, primarily in London, the south-east and the north-west, “failed to consistently identify damp and mould” as a key problem, disregarded its own antisocial behaviour policy and presided over “a period of significant failure” as a landlord, said Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman.
In one incident, staff were said to have reacted to failed repairs by suggesting sending a supervisor instead of a surveyor, because “at least he looks like the surveyor”.
Fiona Fletcher-Smith, the group chief executive at L&Q, said: “We recognise that we’ve got things wrong.”
She said the landlord was tackling the issues highlighted, including investing £3bn in a “major works investment programme”.
