Housing Association trying to do a repair and enter property whilst not there and without consent

FonsoBoy123

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone can offer advice on a situation that’s left me feeling shocked and violated.

We live in a housing association property. On 1st July, one of our double-glazed windows suddenly went bang and shattered. We’d reported this window multiple times over the past year—it was visibly dropped in the frame and jammed shut, along with several others in the house. No one was ever sent to fix them.

After the window shattered, I contacted the housing association immediately. Eventually, someone came out to inspect. Their solution for the stuck windows was to remove all the safety locks—meaning a child could now easily open them and fall out. They also measured up for replacement glass and boarded the broken window from the inside.

We heard nothing more until last Thursday, when the contractor Housing association uses tried to phone me. I’m partially deaf and can’t hear well enough to speak on the phone without assistance, so I messaged them explaining this and asked if they could communicate via text or email. I received no reply.

I followed up with an email on Monday—again, no response. Yesterday, they tried calling again, and when I couldn’t answer, they texted asking me to call them. I texted back explaining I couldn’t speak on the phone. They then texted back asking if they could come today to fix the window.

I replied immediately saying I was away on holiday and wouldn’t be home, and asked if they could come next week instead. I received no response.

Then, earlier today, I started getting alerts from my video doorbell. The contractor had turned up anyway, despite me clearly saying not to. After knocking, they returned to their van, got a ladder, and began attempting repairs—without my permission and while I was away.

This company has a poor reputation and a history of theft allegations, so I was extremely uncomfortable with them being at the property unsupervised. We had no choice but to cut our holiday short, jump on a train, and return home—losing a significant amount of money in the process.

When we got back, they had already left. What we found was appalling:

- Broken glass had been removed and left scattered across the path and driveway.

- It appears they cut a hole in the internal boarding, reached through and opened the window, and removed the boards this is the only way they could have removed boards as they were secured from the inside. I also think they likely entered the house through the window at some point in the process.

- The replacement glass was the wrong size (confirmed by a note they left)

- They left parts of the outside window frame on the windowsill inside.

- They then shoved a new piece of wood over the opening,  which is not properly secured—screws are sticking out, not even going in to wood and it doesn’t fit,rain is now coming in through the gaps.

I’m disgusted by their actions.

From my understanding, landlords must give at least 24 hours’ written notice before entering a property, and must have the tenant’s consent to carry out repairs in their absence. I was given far less than 24 hours’ notice and explicitly told them not to come. At no point did I give permission for them to enter or attempt repairs while I was away.

Surely this amounts to trespassing or even unlawful entry?

I feel violated. It may sound dramatic, but I’m convinced they entered the house some items have been moved, though thankfully nothing appears to be stolen.

Where do I stand and what should I do next? 

Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks,

ripplyuk

Make a complaint and when that is ignored, take it to the ombudsman. Keep good records with dates/times/photos etc.

You have my sympathy because I’m also in social housing and I know what their contractors are like. Recently, I added up the damage they have caused me and it’s almost £1K per year! 

ETA: do check thoroughly for anything missing that’s not immediately obvious. I’ve had them steal the weirdest things including medication, food from the fridge and even my underwear 😕

GDB2222

A friend of mine used to work as a contractor for a housing association. They paid starvation rates, and eventually he went bankrupt (literally) working for them.

So, whilst I have sympathy with the OP, who has been badly treated by the housing association, I have sympathy with the contractor. He simply can't afford to go away and leave the job, even though the OP wasn't home. I have no sympathy at all with the housing association. 

FonsoBoy123

On closer inspection in the room  it's becoming very clear they did come in to house through window. As well as things being moved I've found there is bad damage to sofa bed in that room including what looks to be part of a shoe print. 
This was not there when we left to go away 

I'm so angry and discusted right now. I have taken photos of everything thing and have documented everything.

I'm wondering if I should be reporting it to police as surely it's breaking and entering, or would I be wasting my time. I know police probably won't do anything but wondered if it Would help to at least have a police reference number to give housing association.

GDB2222

FonsoBoy123 said:

On closer inspection in the room  it's becoming very clear they did come in to house through window. As well as things being moved I've found there is bad damage to sofa bed in that room including what looks to be part of a shoe print. 
This was not there when we left to go away 

I'm so angry and discusted right now. I have taken photos of everything thing and have documented everything.

I'm wondering if I should be reporting it to police as surely it's breaking and entering, or would I be wasting my time. I know police probably won't do anything but wondered if it Would help to at least have a police reference number to give housing association.

I think you'd be wasting your time, and the police's time. Breaking and entering as a crime requires some criminal intent, which there clearly wasn't in this case. 

Complain to the housing association. They almost certainly didn't pass on your message to their contractor. Ultimately, whatever the cause, they are responsible to you. Plus, there's an ombudsman. 

Without meaning to belittle your annoyance and upset, what do you mean by "there is bad damage to sofa bed in that room including what looks to be part of a shoe print"? Is this something that you can hoover off, or throw in the washing machine, or is it more serious than that?

FonsoBoy123

It's a brand new sofa bed that we only got 2 weeks ago. Its a leather like material with no covers that can be removed and washed.

The damage is a white substance not sure what it is but tried wiping and won't come off. It's all over arm of sofa and the the seat part next to arm. 

GDB2222

FonsoBoy123 said:

It's a brand new sofa bed that we only got 2 weeks ago. Its a leather like material with no covers that can be removed and washed.

The damage is a white substance not sure what it is but tried wiping and won't come off. It's all over arm of sofa and the the seat part next to arm. 

I agree that sounds like serious damage. Put it to the housing association that it's up to them to either clean it or replace it. 

dannim12345

Definitely put a complaint in, the process should be stated on their website.  You can then escalate if needed to the ombudsman. I would write the email and then read it the next day and make sure it is super clear what has happened, the timelines, include photos etc. 

I hope would this was the contractor doing this off their own backs and the housing association will be shocked by this too.  

Ditzy_Mitzy

FonsoBoy123 said:

It's a brand new sofa bed that we only got 2 weeks ago. Its a leather like material with no covers that can be removed and washed.

The damage is a white substance not sure what it is but tried wiping and won't come off. It's all over arm of sofa and the the seat part next to arm. 

The 'white substance' is probably a smear of mastic or caulk or whatever they call the putty used to seal window frames.  Wetting it will make things worse; however, you might be able to get the stuff off with a dry brush or vacuum cleaner - it's what I did when we had new windows put in.  

silvercar

I do wonder if they would class the boarding up as a temporary fix and therefore the replacement of the actual window as urgent. This would then dispense with the requirement to ask permission and only require them to give notice.

No excuse for leaving a mess behind.

The failure to leave the place tidy and the inadequate communications should definitely be taken up with the HA.

FonsoBoy123

silvercar said:

I do wonder if they would class the boarding up as a temporary fix and therefore the replacement of the actual window as urgent. This would then dispense with the requirement to ask permission and only require them to give notice.

No excuse for leaving a mess behind.

The failure to leave the place tidy and the inadequate communications should definitely be taken up with the HA.

I understand that some repairs might be classified as urgent depending on the circumstances. But in this case, I don’t believe that applies. The window was double glazed, and only the inner pane had shattered. The outer pane remained fully intact, and the broken side was securely boarded from the inside. There was no exposure to the elements, no immediate safety risk, and no indication that the property was vulnerable.

If Housing association or their contractor genuinely considered this urgent or an emergency, I would expect them to act quickly—not wait nearly two months before attempting the repair. That delay alone undermines any claim of urgency surely.

More importantly, even if a repair is considered urgent, I believe notice and consent are still required unless there’s a clear emergency (e.g. fire, flood, gas leak). In this case, I explicitly told them I was away and unavailable, and asked them not to attend. They ignored that, turned up anyway, and appear to have entered the property through the window, leaving damage and unsecured boarding.

I agree with you completely on one point: there’s no excuse for the mess they left behind. But I also believe there’s no excuse for disregarding tenant communication, accessibility needs, and basic legal boundaries.

I went back and checked my tenants agreement just to see what it says and it says the following

That a new process has been introduced that will no longer be target-led, ie the resident will be able to choose a specific
date for their repair to suit their requirements instead of being told it
will be done within a set timescale.

It also states our simplified repair service will consist of only two categories which cover all types of repairs.
The categories under the new repairs contract will now be:

• Emergencies - make safe or emergency repair

• Appointments - offered for all other repairs

So if I'm reading this right I should have been able to choose a date for repair that suits my requirements.

I at no point refused to let them come, I just said it wasn't possible this week. I could have done any day next week.