Wider investigation into council launched by Ombudsman over damp and mould failures
The Housing Ombudsman has revealed that it is to conduct a wider investigation into the London Borough of Islington, after the Council’s poor handling of damp and mould reports.
The investigation is to establish whether continued complaints around damp and mould are indicative of “wider failure within the landlord”, the Ombudsman has revealed.
The investigation was initiated following a review of the landlord’s casework. Of the cases determined between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022, the Ombudsman made four maladministration findings in the five damp, mould and leaks complaints the service investigated.
The Ombudsman has revealed that so far this year, it has found “maladministration or reasonable redress”, which is where the landlord identifies its own service failure, in all the damp, mould and leaks complaints determined.
The London Borough of Islington featured in the Ombudsman’s Spotlight damp and mould report in October 2021.
Using its powers within the Scheme, the Ombudsman will produce a learning report for the landlord at the end of its monitoring period and make recommendations for improvement to the landlord where appropriate.
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “After repeated failures in this area over the past year, I have been alerted to two new damp and mould complaints concerning the landlord that have been assessed as high risk. 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 Scheme to identify areas for the landlord to learn and improve.
“At the end of the monitoring period, we will publish a learning report highlighting any issues we have identified in the cases investigated and make recommendations to the landlord where appropriate.”
In response to the announcement of the wider investigation by the Ombudsman, Islington Council has set out a “five-point action plan” to tackle damp and mould in council homes.
It said that it “promises to do more to stop damp and mould”, and has said sorry for not dealing more quickly with some cases in the past.
The action plan includes:
- Reviewing all damp and mould cases from the last three years - contacting tenants to make sure issues are resolved, and taking more action if needed
- Investing an extra £1million every year for a new damp and mould action team, including specialist surveyors and more funding for ventilation and insulation
- Training non-specialist staff - for example staff carrying out gas compliance checks - to identify damp and mould when visiting homes
- Managing a dedicated line for calls from council tenants concerned about damp and mould, so the council can book a survey and tackle the damp
- Working more closely with other local partner agencies to give joined-up help and support to residents including finance, housing needs, medical conditions and repairs
The council has said it will welcome the Ombudsman’s team and give all the help and support they need for their investigation.
Cllr Una O’Halloran, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Homes and Communities, said: “We want everyone in Islington to have a place to call home, which is secure, decent and genuinely affordable.
“It’s vital tenants live in homes that are free from damp and mould. We’re very sorry that in some cases we’ve fallen short of the high standards our residents deserve, and we need to do better.
“That’s why we’ve set out a five-point action plan, including contacting all residents with damp and mould cases from the last three years to make sure the problem was resolved, and taking more action if needed.
“We’ll invest an extra £1million in a new damp and mould action team, as well as training up non-specialist staff to help spot mould and damp.
“We’re setting up a dedicated line for damp and mould, and we’ll also work closely with other local organisations to give residents help and support on a range of issues.
“We will keep working to eradicate damp and mould until our tenants have the secure, decent, genuinely affordable homes they need.”
Lottie Winson
