Ombudsman highlights 16 landlords for safety failings

She was moved temporarily on at least eight occasions and the landlord failed to engage on a personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP).

According to the report, the landlord attempted to repair the lift eight times, but did not provide repair records or how it categorised the repairs.

The landlord said delays were due to not having parts or having to refer to the manufacturer based in Italy. 

“While we recognise that complex repairs may require additional time to complete, the landlord should have kept in regular communication with the resident and updated them on progress. The evidence provided by the landlord shows that this was not always the case,” the report said.

In another case, a family covered up a hole in the ceiling with a black bin bag for two years, despite the landlord knowing asbestos may have been present.

Another case involved a landlord not fitting a fire door for 28 months.

A further case left a resident unable to access drinking water because of black slime coming out of the taps for years.

“The financial hardship these conditions can create as well as the impact on mental health are constant experiences,” the report said.

It said the delays some residents experienced were “staggering”, including two years with a condemned gas boiler, 17 months with electrical safety issues unresolved, and six years with an unresolved drainage issue.

“In several cases the issues should have been dealt with as emergencies, within hours or days, but the risks remain unresolved for months or years,” according to the report. 

The ombudsman said that, occasionally, a landlord failed to grasp its obligations, including in relation to fire safety. 

“Extremely poor communication, internally, with third parties or the resident, are commonplace.

“The landlord may also be aware of the resident’s circumstances but did not mitigate the risks where delays occurred,” it said.

This included failing to consider temporary moves and was “unlikely to fulfil the requirements of Awaab’s Law”, the watchdog said.

However, it said the “most striking failure is one of omission” – an absence of records or evidence of action.

The full report, with the names of the 16 landlords, can be found here.

Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman, said that, “concerningly”, the cases “show issues remaining unresolved for months or even years, despite many of them requiring emergency repairs”. 

“And the impact on a household can be profound, with some landlords doing too little to recognise the poor conditions some residents have been left to live in,” he said.

Mr Blakeway said the complaints can provide “vital intelligence” for boards to seek assurance that failings in policy, processes or systems “won’t be repeated, and for the executive to deconstruct the case to learn lessons”.

He said this included weaknesses in knowledge and information management.

“I would urge landlords to engage in the lessons in this report and test themselves against them. There is much to be proud of in the sector’s approach to safety, but it must not be complacent because compliance rates are high in certain areas,” Mr Blakeway added.

Last month, the ombudsman focused on inspection failures that left children exposed to damp and mould.