North Devon Homes warns of housing scam risks

North Devon Homes is advising its customers to be cautious of ‘no win, no fee’ housing disrepair claims after a local resident was left with a court bill exceeding £1,500. 

The claim was dismissed at Barnstaple Magistrates Court,

The case involved a four-year dispute where the customer alleged that North Devon Homes had failed to address damp and mould issues.

However, the court found no evidence of negligence by the community landlord. 

Instead, the problems were attributed to the customer’s lifestyle choices and alterations made to the property, including the introduction of fish tanks and blocking ventilation systems. 

Further issues, such as covering radiators and removing internal doors, worsened the moisture problems in the home.

As a result, the resident was ordered to pay £1,608 for unauthorised works to the property.

Following the court ruling, Claire Fallow, Head of Asset Management said: “As a responsible community landlord, we always seek to work closely with our customers to provide safe, sustainable homes. In this case, no issues relating to damp and mould had been reported to us. We would like to remind all our customers to discuss any concerns they have about their home with us before entering into an arrangement with another party which they may later regret. We’re increasingly becoming concerned about largely unregulated claims firms who aggressively target residents by enticing them with the promise of a ‘no win, no fee’ outcome, but sadly too often it’s the claimant who loses out. We would urge our customers to be cautious if they are approached by any of these scammers making promises which are often too good to be true, and to talk to us first. Sometimes these individuals gain access under false pretence, and we would always advise customers to check ID and call our Customer Care Team if they are any doubt about someone trying to gain access to their home.”

North Devon Homes has encountered other instances where tenants wished to withdraw their claims but were unable to do so without facing significant financial penalties due to the fine print in the agreement with the claims firms.

Claire continued: “Whilst the result was in our favour, sadly in this case, there are no winners. The time taken by staff to work on this case to protect our customers’ money has resulted in significant resources being diverted away from areas that could benefit our customers.  Condensation related mould can form in any home, even where there is no building defect, although it can of course be exacerbated by faults. We advise our customers to make use of existing ventilation, to reduce condensation where possible, but we also have a programme of ventilation improvements, thermal improvements, tailored advice and financial support, which has been a great benefit to customers who have worked together with us to solve these problems.”

North Devon Homes has implemented various programmes, including ventilation and thermal improvements, as well as tailored advice and financial support, to help tenants manage condensation and prevent mould. 

The organisation encourages residents to report any concerns directly by emailing customercare@ndh-ltd.co.uk or calling 01271 312500.