The Housing Ombudsman latest Insight report has put the spotlight on pest infestation, tenancy warning letters and gas safety.
The HO’s reports showcase where lessons can be learned for landlords and residents in a variety of instances.
The latest report contains insights from the HO’s Dispute Support team, who are often the first response to many complaints. They look at the rising number of urgent issues coming to the HO and how landlords can improve around service charges.
The report scrutinises the last quarter’s casework to find some key lessons for the sector, which includes resources that landlords can take away to improve their own services in these areas.
Cases include:
- A case involving Westminster City Council where the HO found maladministration for pest infestation. The landlord failed to take into account the residents’ partial sight and therefore, despite being responsive, only prolonged the distress and time taken for the issue to be solved
- A maladministration finding for Solihull Council for their handling of gas safety testing, resulting in a period of 11 months where a vulnerable resident had no gas safety certificate
- A case about staff behaviour involving Places for People, in which the landlord failed to address the allegations of the resident or seek evidence for them. It also did not take the resident’s vulnerabilities into account when assessing the reasonableness of the steps it had taken.
At the same time as the publication of the Insight report, the HO has also released its latest quarterly data.
The statistics show:
- The HO made 1,284 determinations – a 69% increase on the previous quarter
- Whilst dropping slightly from last quarter, Property Condition was responsible for 58% of all complaints received
- The HO made 2,911 orders to make things right – a 91% increase on the previous quarter
- 52% of those orders were compensation for residents.
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “As we undertake more investigations, the insight from our casework to improve services is expanding.
“This report contains several thought-provoking cases. Our investigation into a blind woman’s experiences of reporting a rodent infestation where the landlord, although responsive, failed to grip the situation and inferred blame on the resident despite her disability, provides lessons for the whole sector on dealing with pest control better.
“We know how hard it can be to treat pest infestation at times, but the cases highlighted provide insights so that landlords can improve in this area moving forwards.
“This Insight report shows how landlords can better tackle issues within their own complaints system before we need to step in.
“The crucial insights from our frontline caseworkers should be essential reading to all in the sector, as they show what we are starting to see a lot of. Getting on top of this is vital before they turn into the investigations of the future.”
Author: Max Salsbury