Ombudsman names 12 landlords for knowledge and information failings in latest report

The ombudsman ordered the landlord to pay £2,200 in compensation, apologise and conduct a full inspection of the roof.

In its learning statement, Lewisham Council said it had employed an independent surveyor to carry out a photographic and thermal imaging inspection of the roof. It has developed a complaints management improvement plan and is upgrading its housing management computer systems.

PA Housing was reprimanded for poor record-keeping in a domestic abuse complaint. The landlord was unable to locate any of the complaints reported by the resident, as they had been given to the incorrect team.

This led to four complaints being raised over a year with no action being taken, and there was no record of the resident’s vulnerabilities stored on the landlord’s systems.

The resident informed the landlord she had fled the house due to domestic abuse, but PA Housing was not able to establish that the resident had contacted it first. It raised a fraud case, as it believed that the resident had abandoned the property without updating the landlord. This created “additional distress and inconvenience”.

The watchdog ordered the chief executive to apologise, pay £1,500 in compensation and contact the local authority to ensure it has all the relevant information regarding the resident’s reason for homelessness.

In its learning statement, PA Housing said it rehoused the resident in a permanent home with additional security within three weeks of the findings being received. It has also updated its domestic abuse policy and redesigned services based on an independent review.

Finally, Gateshead Council was singled out for poor record-keeping in a damp and mould case. Despite knowing the extent of the problem, it had to repeat a survey after changing contractor and misplacing the surveyor reports. This “prolonged the detriment” for the resident.

The council “missed opportunities” to rebuild the resident’s trust in its handling of his matter or demonstrate an understanding of the longstanding issue. The ombudsman ordered the landlord to pay £8,800 in compensation, for the chief executive to apologise to the resident in person and complete an inspection of the property.

Gateshead Council said it had reviewed its approach to damp and mould and improved its process for tackling cases as quickly as possible. “These improvements are reflected in a significant increase in tenant satisfaction,” it added.

Nine other landlords were also named in the report for failures that included record-keeping around damp and mould, repairs, anti-social behaviour (ASB) and data retention (Metropolitan Thames Valley, A2Dominion, Anchor Hanover, Harlow Council, L&Q, Clarion, Leeds City Council and Sanctuary). The ninth, Notting Hill Genesis, was recommended to inform the Information Commissioner’s Office of its suspected data breaches in connection with a case.

These landlords’ cases and learning statements can be found in the full report here.

Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman, said the report was “a timely reminder” one year on from his Spotlight recommendations.

He added: “From domestic abuse to repairs to ASB, failings in this area can have a significant impact on residents, their health and well-being, as well as eroding trust in their landlord.

“Inadequate or inaccurate records can also present significant organisational risk, both handling individual cases or more widely. This creates a lottery where landlord actions can be inconsistent or non-existent.

“There is also a strong coloration between poor records, protracted complaints and severe detriment which is hard to ignore and can involve landlords of all sizes and types.

“In a challenging and changing operating environment, KIM should be the foundation of a solid service delivery and complaint handling.”

Last week, the ombudsman released its special investigation report into Southern Housing, which found a “lack of ownership within the landlord’s complaint-handling culture”.