Housing ombudsman awards compensation over cleaning complaints

Complaints about poor cleaning in a council block of flats have resulted in compensation being awarded by the Housing Ombudsman.

A leaseholder, Phil Shaw, first raised concerns about the standard of cleaning in communal areas of the block in Craven Vale in November 2023.

Mr Shaw, a professional costume designer, pays service charges to Brighton and Hove City Council and the bill includes the cost of cleaning the communal areas.

The ombudsman awarded £100 compensation because of the council’s response to Mr Shaw’s concerns and the handling of the complaint process.

Mr Shaw wants improvements to the communal cleaning service and a refund of cleaning charges.

The ombudsman’s report said that, while the council listed Mr Shaw’s concerns and inspected the communal areas, it failed to provide a cleaning schedule despite repeated requests.

Mr Shaw complained that the cleaner only swept and mopped the floor. They did not clean the windows, walls and ledges and the standard of cleaning did not meet proper expectations.

When escalating the complaint in May 2024, after a council inspector said that the cleaning was acceptable, Mr Shaw provided evidence of missed or ineffective cleaning.

When referring the case to the ombudsman after the council said that the cleaning was satisfactory a second time, Mr Shaw’s evidence included images of cobwebs and further evidence that windows, walls and ledges were missed.

The ombudsman said:

“The landlord did not consider the resident’s escalation request at the earliest opportunity and failed to acknowledge or put this right although it responded appropriately at stage one and put right the confusion between its complaints and leasehold dispute processes.”

Labour councillor Gill Williams, the council’s cabinet member for housing, said:

“We understand the resident’s concerns and welcome the report which recognised that we investigated the issues raised and took action including inspections, extra cleaning and ongoing monitoring.

“While the overall satisfaction with our estates service is increasing, we’ve reflected on the lessons learned and are continuing to improve the service we provide to residents.”

Mr Shaw is not the only resident in his block to have been awarded compensation over communal area cleaning.

In April last year, another neighbour – who has asked not to be identified because of other outstanding complaints – was awarded £500 compensation over how the council dealt with cleaning complaints.

It followed complaints from the neighbour in 2023 about faeces in the communal area and cleaners skipping the block of flats in question.

The council’s tenant satisfaction measures for 2025-26 showed that matters had improved, with 71 per cent of tenants “satisfied” with cleaning in communal areas, up from 66 per cent for 2024-25.