Ombudsman names eight landlords in new approach to highlighting and sharing learning from severe maladministration
The Housing Ombudsman has published its first ‘learning from severe maladministration’ report, featuring cases on discrimination, staff conduct and a lack of adjustments due to vulnerabilities.
The report highlighted eight landlords involved in severe maladministration findings:
- ForHousing
- Hastoe Housing
- Metropolitan Thames Valley
- North West Leicestershire Council
- Peabody
- Plus Dane Housing
- Trident Housing
- Two Rivers Housing
Cases included in the report include an order for an independent dip sample survey to be carried out following an asbestos case, a family being left in damp and mould for five years and the lack of action by the landlord giving rise to the feeling of discrimination. There was also an anti-social behaviour case in which the landlord did not handle its safeguarding responsibilities well enough.
The Ombudsman has doubled the number of decisions it is making annually, and as casework coming to the service continuing to rise, it has emphasised the increasing importance of the learning which can be taken where there has been serious failure.
The report groups together several cases, potentially involving different landlords, to examine related themes and lessons, "including where vital opportunities were missed to improve outcomes for residents".
Support and training from these cases will be provided through the Ombudsman’s expanding Centre for Learning.
Conversely, the Ombudsman has also committed to do more to highlight where there is no maladministration in the landlord’s handling of an issue in coming months.
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, brought attention to the common and repeated reasons for severe maladministration across these cases, whether issues with policy, practice or systems, as well as inadequate redress.
He said: “It is important that vital learning is not lost because of the sheer volume of findings, and we urge everyone in social housing to read this, from frontline officers to those sitting around the board table. When you group these severe maladministration cases like we have, you can plainly see that complaints cannot be only seen as operational, but something that impacts every area of the business.
“The Centre for Learning will also help landlords with practical guidance and interactive workshops to improve services for residents. This is all free to access and speaks to our aims of improving local complaint handling so that issues are resolved earlier and without the need for Ombudsman.”
The full report is available here.
Harry Rodd
