Posted 15.02.22
Housing Ombudsman Service: Further reading
The Housing Ombudsman found severe maladministration for LB Haringey's housing management organisation, Homes for Haringey, when dealing with a vulnerable resident's complaint about a leaking roof that caused damp and mould.
The landlord was aware of the resident's vulnerability due to her medical condition that she said was made worse by living in her property and that she had been hospitalised several times, but it did not take any steps to support her.
The resident experienced unexplained delays and a lack of communication from the landlord.
The resident, a leaseholder, had reported leaks from the roof above on several occasions over a period of two years and some repairs were carried out.
In early 2021 she contacted the landlord to say she had been in hospital after spending two months in a damp flat with leaks and mould on the walls. Further work was scheduled but did not take place.
The landlord failed to give the resident an update on the progress of the repairs, apologised and said its contractors had been affected by the pandemic and that it would ask them to prioritise the work.
The resident was dissatisfied as the issue had been going on for some time, a repair had not been successful and now she had been told the contractors were not available until lockdown restrictions eased.
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Posted 01.02.22
Housing Ombudsman Service: Further reading
The Housing Ombudsman has issued a Special Report on the London Borough of Lambeth, following the volume and frequency of complaint handling failure orders issued and a series of formal investigations.
The Ombudsman used its new power to provide insight to help the landlord strengthen its complaint handling and address some of the substantive issues giving rise to complaints.
It will also help other landlords identify potential learning to improve their own services.
Complaint handling failure orders are issued to landlords where they fail to progress complaints through their procedures or to provide information to the Ombudsman.
In November 2021, the Ombudsman issued nine formal decisions to LB Lambeth, which were progressed together in order to identify any systemic learning.
Poor record keeping, significant delays or failing to respond to complaints, and failings in responding to repairs were the three themes identified across the cases.
As a result of its investigations, the Ombudsman has proposed the landlord undertake reviews in each of the three areas. These are areas the Ombudsman often identifies failings, and therefore the report may offer learning for all social landlords.
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