Ombudsman Orders Believe Housing to Pay £1,600 Over Damp, Mould, and Poor Complaint Handling..
- teessidetoday
- Oct 7
- 3 min read
The Ombudsman ruled there'd been "multiple failings' by the County Durham housing provider, coming just two years after the firm was slapped with a Severe Maladministration notice by regulators...
7th October 2025
A County Durham housing association has been heavily criticised by the Housing Ombudsman after leaving a cancer-stricken tenant living in a home with damp, mould and leaking gutters for months on end.
Believe Housing Limited has now been ordered to pay £1,600 in compensation following a damning investigation that found multiple service failures and maladministration in the handling of repairs and complaints.
Vulnerable Tenant Left Unable to Use Bathroom
The case centred on a tenant living in a one-bedroom bungalow, who first complained to Believe Housing in February 2023 after a recurring mould problem in his bathroom left him unable to wash for over two months.
The Ombudsman found that Believe Housing had been aware of the mould since 2021, but failed to act quickly or follow its own procedures. Repairs were delayed, records were incomplete, and communication with the tenant was poor.
Despite repeated attempts to treat the mould, the issue kept returning. The Ombudsman said the housing provider failed to follow up inspections or check whether the situation had been resolved. Crucially, it also failed to make reasonable adjustments for the tenant’s health condition — the resident was living with cancer at the time.
Years of Guttering Problems Ignored
The tenant later complained that leaking guttering was causing water to run onto a wooden ramp at his front door. He said the leak had been ongoing for nearly ten years, creating a safety hazard and waterlogging the garden. Despite the seriousness of the issue, the Ombudsman found that Believe Housing took over 100 working days to carry out repairs once the fault was reported in April 2023. Even then, the leak continued.
The housing provider also told the tenant he was responsible for the ramp because it had been installed without permission — despite earlier inspections where it had offered to replace it. The Ombudsman said Believe Housing’s handling of the issue was inconsistent and poorly documented, adding that its response failed to “recognise the extent of its failure.”
Complaint Handling ‘Clearly Below Acceptable Standard’
In addition to the repair delays, the Ombudsman said Believe Housing’s complaint handling fell “below the standards required”.
The landlord repeatedly missed deadlines, failed to escalate the complaint properly, and even issued two Stage 1 responses instead of following the correct process. Some of the tenant’s key concerns — including a request to be reimbursed for electricity costs from running a dehumidifier — were completely ignored.
The Ombudsman said Believe Housing’s initial compensation offer of £900 “did not reflect the extent of the disruption, distress, and inconvenience experienced.”
Final Ruling: Maladministration and Service Failure
In its final ruling, the Housing Ombudsman found that Believe Housing was guilty of service failure in relation to both the damp and mould repairs and the guttering and ramp issues, and maladministration in its complaint handling but stopped short of issuing its most serious "Severe Maladministration" ruling, which the firm received back in 2023 with Believe Housing then ordered to make significant improvements in Its working practices. .
A Wider Issue of Accountability
The decision comes amid growing scrutiny of so called 'social landlords' handling of damp and mould cases nationwide. The Ombudsman has repeatedly warned housing providers that vulnerable residents must not be left living in unsafe or unhealthy homes.
The report reinforces calls for greater transparency and accountability within the now largely privatised housing sector, with campaigners saying that many tenants still face long delays and dismissive attitudes from their landlords.
