A HOUSING association has been ordered to pay over £5,600 compensation for allowing a mother and child to live in a damp and mouldy home for years.

Sanctuary Housing, based in Worcester, was ordered by the Housing Ombudsman to pay the compensation after making two findings of severe maladministration due to the landlord leaving a resident and her child living in damp and mould for years and then failing to provide proper redress for the situation.

The mum and child were diagnosed with asthma because of the failings in which the bathroom, living room, two bedrooms, and hallway were all impacted.

The ruling did not reveal the family's location.

On top of the compensation, which was partly calculated based on the amount of rent the resident had paid in that period, Sanctuary Housing was ordered to apologise to the resident in person and review its staff training on not closing a complaint early until the issue has been resolved.

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 Housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway said: “The landlord’s actions were dismissive of a young family living with damp and mould.

“It delayed unreasonably in inspecting and rectifying the damp and mould. It failed to act on the advice of its own experts to identify the source of the leak and to resolve this before commencing internal works.

“In failing to do this the landlord had to complete some of the repair works twice which further delayed final resolution and caused the resident further distress and inconvenience.

“The sector has taken important steps to address damp and mould and it is vital landlords use this time before the winter months to ensure their response to reports is robust.

"This case also shows the importance of not closing complaints early without a satisfactory resolution.

“I also welcome the lessons the landlord has actioned from this case and the extensive steps it is taking to develop its approach on damp and mould.”

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A spokesperson for Sanctuary Housing said: "We are sorry that our service provided on this occasion fell below the standard we set ourselves.

"A senior member of the Sanctuary team has personally apologised to our resident for having let them down.

"All our customers have the right to live in a safe and well-maintained home, free from damp and mould, and should expect to have any issues dealt with quickly and efficiently. We will learn from our mistakes and use this case to drive improvements.

“We accept the Ombudsman’s findings and have fully complied with the orders made."