Govanhill Housing Association apologises after wrongly blaming tenant for leaks

A housing association in Glasgow has been ordered to apologise for wrongly blaming a tenant for leaks in their property.

Govanhill Housing Association “incorrectly” stated that a contractor’s report noted that any leaks were “likely caused by installations made by [the tenant]”.

The housing body admitted to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) that the information was received during undocumented, informal discussions with contractors.

The watchdog determined that it was “unreasonable” to describe the information in a way that suggested a written report or verified discussion with the contractor.

“We found that there was no firm, supportable evidence of what the contractor reported to the association,” the SPSO said.

The watchdog also found that the housing body exceeded the stated timescales for repairs in some cases, and did not advise the tenant of the delays or respond to their enquiries.

SPSO ordered the housing association to apologise to the tenant, and the watchdog said it should respond to requests for repairs and record information regarding these requests according to policy.

A spokesperson from Govanhill Housing Association said: “We cooperated fully with the investigation conducted by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman in relation to this historical complaint.

“The SPSO has now confirmed that all their recommendations have been implemented by the Association, and we therefore consider the matter closed.”