Culture of ‘othering’ residents lies at heart of issues faced by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, says Ombudsman

A special report by the Housing Ombudsman has found that Rochdale Boroughwide Housing has a culture of ‘othering’ residents, which “lies at the heart of” its issues.

“This involves a pattern of exclusion and marginalisation based on identities perceived as different”, said the Ombudsman.

The wider investigation was prompted by the inquest into two-year-old Awaab Ishak’s death from prolonged exposure to mould, and the Ombudsman’s review of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing’s complaints.

The report examines the initial lessons identified by the landlord following Awaab’s death, and actions since the inquest. The report makes recommendations for “improved practice to support the landlord’s recovery” in areas including disrepair, resident engagement and organisational learning, said the Ombudsman.

The report notes that regardless of any ongoing legal claim, the landlord has a “legal duty of care towards its residents to act to prevent injury or damage to property caused by defects in the home”.

The Ombudsman said: “It is essential that no landlord delays or fetters access to the repairs process in the event of a complaint or claim, and landlords must also ensure they have a clear and effective approach where both a claim and complaint are open.”

Looking at responses provided by the landlord after the Ombudsman’s “call for evidence” shortly after the death of Awaab Ishak, the report found that much of the language used was “tenant blaming”, using lifestyle and cultural barriers as key reasons for the issues.

The Ombudsman described the landlord’s attitude towards residents as “dismissive and discriminatory”, which was “not restricted to” Awaab Ishak’s family, nor complaints about damp and mould.

The report also found that Rochdale “did not go far enough” to find where residents were not reporting damp and mould issues. This included “flawed reviews that did not uncover the damp and mould that was present on various estates”.

Issues were found with the landlord’s communication strategy. The Ombudsman said: “Communications by the landlord about damp and mould are at times scant. Website information does not cover how the landlord will tackle the issue, instead addressing what the resident should do.”

Record keeping was also noted as a “key theme” running through Rochdale Boroughwide Housing’s complaints. This included “missing repairs records, different systems holding different information, repairs information logged against the wrong address and key details being stored on individual staff computers”, the report said.

Furthermore, the Ombudsman said that until the inquest, the landlord “did not show a strong ability to learn from its mistakes or take opportunities to improve from them”.

Under the key themes outlined in the report, the Ombudsman provided a number of recommendations for the landlord’s future practice:

• Formal hazards assessments being introduced for damp and mould inspections.
• A “comprehensive and sustained focus on shifting behaviour and culture”, including a programme of education and training on staff engagement with residents. Other landlords should also consider what action they should take to improve professionalism.
• The landlord should prioritise a “tenancy audit” to establish who is living in the homes, vulnerabilities, and the presence of children.
• The landlord should update its complaints policy and self-assess against the Code.

The Ombudsman has said that the landlord had “proactively engaged” during the investigation, including meeting with the Ombudsman to discuss the themes identified and “actions being undertaken”.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “Our investigation has highlighted that culture change will be central to the landlord’s recovery.

“The weakness in policies, repeated failures and failure to learn from complaints has led us to conclude there was wider service failure by the landlord in areas other than its response to damp and mould, including record keeping and communication.

“Our investigation found reoccurring instances of residents being treated in dismissive, inappropriate or unsympathetic ways. In some instances, the language used was derogatory."

Blakeway added: “It is highly unlikely that this endemic behaviour of ‘othering’ is isolated to a single landlord and the social housing sector should consider whether they also need to turn over the stone and do a deep dive into their culture and whether they are living their social purpose.

“It is encouraging to see that the new leadership at the landlord is determined to lead from the front with the development of their recovery plan.”

In a statement, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing said: “We would like to thank the Ombudsman service for its very thorough and balanced report. The findings in the report are sobering but not unexpected. There has been significant learning from the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, which highlighted key areas of concern within RBH.

“We have recognised that too often damp and mould was not seen as a serious issue and was attributed to a resident’s lifestyle. At RBH we have taken significant steps since December 2022 to tackle this across our homes. But it is fair to say that this work should have started much sooner and that the scale of the issue in our homes means it will take us time to complete.

“The report also highlights concerns with the way in which residents were treated. Our residents have the right to be treated with respect and listened to and too often this wasn’t happening. We will put this right and have begun a culture shift programme across the organisation.”

The housing association added: “There are wider lessons that we need to act upon, around the investment in our existing homes, and how this is balanced against the desperate need for more homes. Issues of overcrowding in homes have a detrimental effect in a lot of areas and is a significant issue within Rochdale but also across the country, with insufficient family homes to move people into. However, this should not excuse us from trying to find solutions, investigating the root cause of the damp and mould and taking action to treat it.”

Lottie Winson