For-profit Sage Homes missed chances to act on safeguarding, review finds

Their complaint was first raised when Sage Homes had appointed a housing association to act as its managing agent. The ombudsman’s investigation found “significant failings” in complaint-handling and communication between the landlord and the agent. This arrangement is no longer in place.

Sage Homes used Places for People to manage its properties from its inception in 2017 to late 2023, when Sage took its management services in-house. 

A Places for People spokesperson said: “We accept that our collective service levels during the transfer of work between ourselves and Sage – the period to which this matter relates – were not good enough. We have conducted a thorough review of the case and have already shared our findings with the ombudsman.

“We consistently strive to bring forward improvements for our customers and will take the learnings from this case to deliver sustained positive change to our services.”

The independent review identified 17 other residents affected by similar failings. The ombudsman said Sage Homes has taken steps to review those cases and provide redress.

The review found several areas needing improvement at Sage Homes, including inconsistent safeguarding practices.

It made 20 recommendations, such as revising policies to address both child and adult safeguarding separately and ensure comprehensive training for all staff members who interact with residents, including on anti-social behaviour policy.

The landlord was urged to remove barriers to reporting incidents, ensure transparency in service standards, and enhance the visibility of service standards to ensure residents can trust in services.

It was also urged to take steps to make sure all customer records are updated with accurate information relating to vulnerabilities and consider opportunities for residents to influence and scrutinise decision-making.

The review recognised that Sage Homes was “trying to make positive changes”, especially in its commitment to “cultural change” by making safeguarding “everyone’s business”.

Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman, said: “I welcome the thorough review that has been undertaken and the proactive steps of the landlord to prevent similar issues being repeated. I also welcome the frank and open way the landlord has engaged with us.

“While anti-social behaviour can be difficult to manage, our investigation shows that at no stage did the landlord or its agent recognise the health vulnerabilities of its resident, which led it to miss several opportunities to act on safeguarding concerns.

“The communication and engagement between the landlord and its agent at the time was also flawed and this compounded the impact on the resident.

“This complaint is a crucial reminder of how one resident’s experience can reveal wider issues that need to be addressed. It is important for other landlords to learn from this experience and consider their own handling of safeguarding, as well as engagement with managing agents.”

Mark Sater, chief executive of Sage Homes, said: “We are extremely sorry for these service failings, which fall well below the high standards we set ourselves and what our customers should receive.

“Following the ombudsman’s investigation, we completed our own extensive review to ensure this does not happen again, resulting in the introduction of a number of significant changes, including new and stronger policies and investing in a major operational restructure.

“This has brought all housing management services in-house, removing full reliance on third-party providers and allowing for better oversight and faster responses to addressing tenant concerns.

“We have also apologised to the customer in question on several occasions, as well as offering her an alternative home. However, she has declined this offer as she is now happy in her home.”