Ombudsman urges housing sector to learn lessons ahead of Complaint Handling Code becoming statutory in 2024
The Housing Ombudsman has called on the sector to learn from complaint handling failures ahead of its incoming statutory code, as it looks to reduce the number of “repeated mistakes”.
The Complaint Handling Code will become statutory in 2024. The Ombudsman said that landlords will be “expected to comply with the provisions of the Code” and that it will be assessing this as part of its “mandated duty to monitor”.
In 2022-23, the Ombudsman found a 77% compliance rate with its Complaint Handling Failure orders, and 18 landlords with more orders than the rest.
It revealed it has extended its complaint handling report, to provide better knowledge and information for complaint teams within the social housing sector.
This quarter's Complaint Handling Failure Order report shows that from January to March 2023, the Ombudsman issued 40 Complaint Handling Failure Orders (CHFOs) for 32 landlords. 12 of those were “not complied with and further action was taken”, said the regulator.
The report showed that the landlord with the most CHFOs issued against them in the last financial year was A2Dominion Housing Group with nine CHFOs, followed by the London Borough of Haringey with seven.
In addition to the “usual statistics”, the Ombudsman has added its key learning from the quarter into the report, which includes:
- delays in processing incoming calls and emails
- poor communication with residents
- complaints teams struggling with the volume of work
The report also highlights the intervention work carried out before a Complaint Handling Failure Order is issued. “This will help landlords spot the signs of non-compliance early and fix issues”, said the Ombudsman.
Additionally, where a landlord has been named as non-compliant, the Ombudsman has stated the reason for this.
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “Our Complaint Handling Failure Orders report provides real time intelligence on how landlords complaints process is working and a roundup of where we see landlords struggling with the Complaint Handling Code or their complaints duties.
“This year we’ve seen a real development in using these orders to ensure that a landlord is not only compliant with the Code, but that they are providing the best possible service to residents.
“Before issuing a Complaint Handling Failure Orders, the Ombudsman is keen to work with landlords when an issue is raised to see if the organisation can comply with the Code before an order is needed – this work is also now highlighted in this report.
“With the Code becoming statutory as part of the Social Housing Regulation Bill, it is an important moment for landlords to absorb this learning.”
