Housing Ombudsman launches damp and mould investigation following “repeated failures” at London borough
The Housing Ombudsman has launched an investigation of the London Borough of Islington to establish whether continued complaints around damp and mould are indicative of wider failure within the landlord.
The Ombudsman, Richard Blakeway, said he took the decision after being alerted to two new damp and mould complaints concerning Islington that have been assessed as "high risk". These complaints follow on from "repeated failures" at the council, according to Mr Blakeway.
Four maladministration findings were made at Islington in five damp, mould and leaks complaints the Ombudsman investigated between April 2021 and March 2022.
Since March 2022, the service has also found maladministration or reasonable redress at Islington in all the damp, mould and leaks complaints determined.
The London borough was also featured in the Ombudsman's 'Spotlight' damp and mould report in October 2021.
Mr Blakeway said: "Under the circumstances, I have instructed my team to expedite these investigations.
"Other cases with us concern similar issues and may indicate a repeated failing. That is why we will be conducting a further investigation using our systemic powers under paragraph 49 of [the Housing Ombudsman Scheme] to identify areas for the landlord to learn and improve."
The Ombudsman will produce a learning report for the landlord at the end of its monitoring period and make recommendations to the landlord where appropriate.
Commenting on the investigation, Cllr Una O'Halloran, Islington Council's Executive Member for Homes and Communities, said: "We know that in some cases, we have fallen short of the high standards our residents deserve. We are very sorry about this, and are urgently reviewing these cases."
Cllr O'Halloran announced that the council is now reviewing all damp and mould cases from the last three years, contacting residents to make sure the issue was resolved, and taking additional action if needed.
"We're also investing an extra £1m to recruit specialist surveyors, and to pay for more insulation and ventilation to tackle damp and mould," she noted.
"In addition, we're developing training for non-specialist housing staff to identify damp and mould concerns when visiting homes on other issues - for example, for staff carrying out gas compliance checks."
Cllr O'Halloran said Islington would welcome the Housing Ombudsman's team and give them the help and support they needed for their investigation.
Just last month Mr Blakeway urged councils to self-assess against the 26 recommendations made last year in the 'Spotlight' report on damp and mould in light of the death of Awaab Ishak, who died from a respiratory condition caused by long term exposure to mould.
Adam Carey
