Ombudsman highlights good and bad practice of five landlords on damp and mould

Housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway said it is “clear” from landlords’ compliance with the watchdog’s orders that there is “stronger leadership, better training, more use of technology and greater investment into tackling the root causes of damp and mould”. 

But he said landlords’ actions can be “undermined by common failings, particularly inconsistency, ineffective diagnostics, repair delays and poor communication”.

The ombudsman handled 5,398 damp and mould complaints in 2022-23. 

In the case of Reading Council, the ombudsman found it “did not take the right tone with a resident and mentioned lifestyle”. 

“Throughout the complaint, the landlord was often defensive and used language that inferred blame instead of tackling the very apparent structural issue. 

“The ombudsman found maladministration for this case as there were unreasonable delays by the landlord and it missed opportunities to act sooner, causing the resident additional stress and inconvenience,” it said. 

The watchdog found no maladministration for Riverside after “prompt repairs and inspections” took place following reports of damp and mould. 

“When the landlord was notified of health implications, it responded accordingly and treated the repairs as urgent. 

“The resident was also kept up to date with repairs and expectations were managed about some of the replacements needed,” it said.

Post-repairs inspections also took place in good time and there were minimal delays throughout.

The ombudsman found maladministration for The Guinness Partnership when it failed to properly risk assess the situation, follow up to ensure the issue was resolved, and keep in regular contact and update the resident. 

“While it was limited in the actions it could have taken to treat the underlying causes, it delayed too much in seeking alternative options such as a move, despite the resident repeatedly talking about her children’s health,” it said. 

The watchdog also highlighted a case involving Tower Hamlets Homes, in which the resident was forced to email nearly 10 times in one month to get an answer from the landlord about what actions it was taking.

This was despite her telling her association that the mould was getting worse. 

There were also numerous delays in getting the leak that caused the damp and mould fixed, the ombudsman said. 

It highlighted Broxtowe Council after its initial quick response was “undermined” by poor records. 

“On top of this, the compensation offered was reduced as the landlord considered the resident was to blame. 

“While visits to the home were carried out promptly, repairs records were not kept, which, considering that the resident was pregnant and the issue was severe, was not appropriate,” the watchdog said. 

Mr Blakeway said: “Two years since we published our in-depth Spotlight report on damp and mould – and a year on from the landmark inquest into the avoidable death of Awaab Ishak – we are seeing an unprecedented focus by landlords on strengthening their handling of these cases.”

He said the rising number of damp and mould cases the watchdog handles “reflects landlords making it easier for residents to report issues – finding their silences – and the complexity of some of the problems that landlords are handling, as well as changes taking time to embed”.

Mr Blakeway added: “Central to our recommendations for the sector is cultural and behavioural to ensure damp and mould is treated urgently and proactively. 

“While there is encouraging progress without sustained leadership there remains the risk momentum could be lost given other competing pressures.

“I would encourage landlords should familiarise themselves with our decisions on this fundamental issue and participate in our Centre for Learning e-learning to get a better understanding of how to develop their approach.”

Any landlords mentioned in the report that would like to provide comment, please email: grainne.cuffe@oceanmedia.co.uk.