Industry News


Ombudsman issues special report on Clarion following investigation


T


he Ombudsman has issued a special report on the country’s biggest housing association following concerns about the


social landlord’s response to users’ complaints about damp, mould and pest control in their homes. Based on a review of 13 investigations at Clarion


featuring issues of leaks, repairs and rodent infestation and determined over a six-month period up to June 2022, the report looked at cases involving residents living in eight local authority areas. Tree-quarters of the findings across the cases


were service failure or maladministration, including five findings of severe maladministration, and there were five findings of reasonable redress or no maladministration. Te report identified five key findings and sets out a series of recommendations:


• Damp and mould – the landlord’s approach was oſten inconsistent which seriously impacted residents. It did not have a sufficiently robust and detailed policy in place, and the policy aims that it did have were not met in practice. Recurring themes in the majority of relevant cases include a failure to accurately diagnose the cause within a reasonable timeframe, poor communication and failures to update residents on inspection findings and the actions to be taken. Te recommendations are focused on ensuring that policies are published and shared with residents, including reviewing its practices on how to successfully gain access to properties.


• Pest control – there was no evidence of wider service failure in the landlord’s overall approach but some weaknesses found in its response to individual cases. Te landlord should ensure that early action is taken where there is any indication that reports of pests may not be solely within the resident’s own property, or could be caused by disrepair.


• Complaint handling – evidence of service failures were found that are indicative of wider service


failures in the landlord’s handling of formal complaints, with poor complaint handling oſten adding to existing delays in addressing the service provision issue. Four of the five severe maladministration findings related to complaint handling. Te report recommends the landlord produce an action plan to improve the timeliness, quality and consistency of its complaint responses and the clarity of the information available to residents about its complaint handling procedures.


• Compensation – the landlord offered sizeable compensation in two of the cases with severe maladministration findings. Tis practice at the end of the complaints procedure may be appropriate but should not be routine. Te landlord should review where it has made repeated, significant compensation offers to identify any improvements that could facilitate earlier resolution of complaints.


• Record keeping and communication – Poor record keeping and communication were recurring themes in the majority of the cases, both in the response to the service request and subsequent handling of the complaint. Te landlord should ensure that a resident has a clear point of contact when dealing with ongoing issues.


Clarion engaged positively and actively with the Ombudsman during the investigation. It responded to and acted on the orders and recommendations made in the 13 individual cases involved in the investigation. Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman,


said: “Tis investigation has brought a focus to the key weaknesses we identified and makes recommendations for the landlord to further learn and improve. “Te fact remains that residents had to raise


formal complaints to prompt action from the landlord and the complaint handling was then oſten


Clarion engaged positively and actively with the Ombudsman during the investigation. It responded to and acted on the orders and recommendations made in the 13 individual cases involved in the investigation.


slow and ineffective, adding to their dissatisfaction. While the landlord has regularly self-assessed against our Complaint Handling Code, this has not led to significant adjustments to its published policy. “Te landlord should consider how it achieves a


positive complaint handling culture, developing the required leadership to promote this approach across the organisation. It should also involve residents in reviewing the content of this report and addressing the recommendations.” Te aim of the report is to provide insight to


help the landlord strengthen its approach to damp and mould and pest control, as well as complaint handling, to help extend fairness to other residents and help prevent complaints in future. It also aims to help other landlords identify potential learning to improve their own services and is part of our wider work to monitor landlord performance and stimulate learning from complaints. It is only the second time the Ombudsman has


used a power dating from September 2020 giving it the ability to conduct systemic or thematic investigations beyond an individual complaint or landlord.


Sefton council extends its licensing scheme for private rentals


Aſter a three-month consultation exercise earlier this year Seſton Council on Merseyside is extending its Selective and Additional (HMO)


Licensing schemes for private rented homes until February 2028. Seſton Council introduced Licensing in March


2018 and has used the scheme to improve the management of privately rented properties, including the removal of over 3,000 serious health and safety hazards from licensed properties. Tese have included fire safety, electrical hazards, damp & mould and excess cold. Any property owner who lets a rental property or


HMO in Seſton without a licence from March next year, will be liable to a fine of upto £30,000. Councillor Trish Hardy, Seſton Council’s


Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing 12 | HMMDecember/January 2023 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


said: “Having these Licensing schemes in place has helped the Council to step in and deal with thousands of hazards being faced by private rented tenants across Seſton. “Te vast majority of cases are resolved


informally by us working with the landlord, but we do not hesitate to use formal enforcement powers when necessary. “Seſton Council’s approach is very much at odds


with recent reports implying councils across the country are ‘failing’ private renters by failing to use enforcement powers and I am pleased we are continuing the Licensing schemes for a further five years from 2023.”


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