A leaseholder who flagged substandard cleaning conditions in his Brighton apartment block has received £100 in compensation following a Housing Ombudsman ruling.
Phil Shaw, who works as a costume designer, initially highlighted inadequate communal cleaning standards at his Craven Vale residence to Brighton and Hove City Council in November 2023.
His service charge payments cover the upkeep of shared spaces within the building.
The ombudsman determined the compensation was appropriate due to how the council handled Shaw’s representations and the complaints procedure.
Shaw is seeking both enhanced cleaning standards in common areas and a reimbursement of cleaning-related fees.
According to the ombudsman’s findings, council staff documented Shaw’s grievances and conducted inspections of the communal spaces.
However, despite multiple demands, no cleaning timetable was ever provided.
Shaw reported that cleaning staff limited their work to sweeping and mopping floors, neglecting windows, walls and window ledges entirely, resulting in standards falling below acceptable levels.
Following an inspector’s assessment in May 2024 concluding that cleaning met requirements, Shaw escalated the matter and submitted documentation showing missed or poorly performed cleaning tasks.
When the council subsequently reaffirmed its position that conditions were satisfactory, Shaw escalated to the ombudsman with photographic evidence including cobwebs and proof that windows, walls and ledges remained uncleaned.
The ombudsman’s determination stated that the landlord failed to address the escalation request promptly and did not acknowledge or remedy this shortcoming, despite having responded appropriately at the initial stage and corrected confusion between complaints and leasehold dispute procedures.
Cabinet member for housing, Labour councillor Gill Williams, said the authority recognised the resident’s concerns and welcomed the report, which acknowledged that investigations, inspections, additional cleaning and ongoing monitoring had been carried out.
She stated that while overall satisfaction with estate services continues to rise, lessons had been absorbed and efforts to enhance service delivery persist.
Shaw is not the sole resident at the property to have received compensation for cleaning-related disputes.
In April the previous year, an anonymous neighbour secured £500 after the council’s handling of cleaning complaints, following 2023 reports of human waste in common areas and cleaners bypassing the building entirely.
Council tenant satisfaction data for 2025-26 indicated measurable improvement, with 71 percent of tenants reporting satisfaction with communal area cleaning compared to 66 percent for the preceding year.