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The Housing Ombudsman has produced its latest ‘learning from severe maladministration’ report (PDF), looking at landlords' responses to leaks.
With the important role that social housing has to play in giving safe and secure housing to millions, the learning in these reports will help landlords provide effective services that protect this aspiration.
Landlord’s responses to leaks, and the resulting damp and mould is a significant driver of complaints to the Ombudsman.
Leaks can be complex to deal with and this is reflected in the casework highlighted in this report.
In one case, we found a resident decanted for nearly 2 years whilst the landlord failed to deal with a leak and in other cases, we found residents chasing landlords repeatedly with little to no action being taken. This resulted in ceilings collapsing or extensive damage to personal belongings and furniture.
The themes in this report are clear, including poor diagnosis, excessive delays and a failure to consider vulnerabilities. The sector should be handling leaks more effectively under obligations in the Landlord and Tenant Act and the introduction of Awaab’s Law will require proactive and timely resolution.
This report is part of a series providing lessons to help the sector prepare for Awaab’s Law, in whatever form it takes. The law will become a key part of our decision-making framework and we will continue to share insight through our Centre for Learning.
Landlords highlighted in this report
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