Industry News


Complaints toHousingOmbudsman jump by over 20 per cent


report covering April to June 2021, which revealed a 21 per cent increase in the volume of enquiries and complaints received compared to the previous quarter. TheHousingOmbudsman’s report covering the


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first quarter of 2021 shows it received 7,276 enquiries and complaints fromtenants between April and June, up from6,010 between January and March 2021. This period coincided with a series of features


broadcast by ITN News on shocking conditions experienced by residents on some social housing estatesmanaged by both councils and housing associations. Long running disrepair cases, unhealthy living conditions and poor services all featured in the broadcasts. Perhaps evenmore alarming, theOmbudsman’s


figures show that compared to the same quarter in 2020, the volume had risen by a staggering 230 per cent. TheOmbudsman explained that between April and June 2020 his service experienced a reduction in work due to the Covid-19 lockdown coming into place. There was a drop of 41 per cent in the enquiries


and complaints received then compared to 2019. Over the course of 2020/21 the numbers picked up and then exceeded the previous year’s figures for each quarter.


COMMON CAUSES OFMALADMINISTRATION The Insight report also provides data for the South East and SouthWest regions, together with six case studies concerning landlords in those areas. The most common reason formaladministration in the SouthWest was complaint handling at 43 per cent, whereas in the South East property condition at 33 per cent was highest rated issue. The report also contains a number of cases on


anti-social behaviour, the third highest category of complaint in both regions, with a range of findings following investigations by the Ombudsman service. These point towards theOmbudsman being the prganisationmost likely to hold social landlords to account for service delivery failings. The SocialHousing Regulator in England


has caused bafflement by treating some of the landlords featured in the ITN news features differently despite strong similarities in their cases. For instance it cleared Clarion of breaching its standards but found Croydon Council guilty of a breach. Reasons for the different findings by the regulator remain unclear. Another large social landlord, L&Q was recently


featured in a critical report by The Observer newspaper. Tenants on a west London housing estatemanaged by L&Q claim their health is being affected by damp,mould and vermin because their


The Housing Ombudsman’s report covering the first quarter of 2021 shows it received 7,276 enquiries and complaints fromtenants between April and June, up from 6,010 between January andMarch 2021


complaints have been ignored by their landlord, one of the country’s largest housing associations, since 2018. Sector commentators voiced concerns that senior


executives and boards of housing associations have been focusing toomuch in recent years on building new homes at the expense of improving services to tenants. This is despite the appalling travesty of the Grenfell Tower fire some four years ago and the ensuing focus on listening to tenants.


RAISING AWARENESS The Insight report will feature in the nextMeet the Ombudsman event being hosted by Cornwall Council, giving residents in the area an opportunity to ask questions direct. These events are part of increasing engagement with residents to help raise awareness and understanding of our service. Richard Blakeway,HousingOmbudsman, said:


“This period has seen a further increase in complaints. There are several factors driving this including heightened awareness of the complaints process, and we expect a higher volume of casework to continue.


6 | HMMOctober/November 2021 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk “As well as providing insight on the individual


complaints we have received, these reports have an important role in sharing lessons fromthosemore widely across the sector. Using this collective learning can help to resolve issues at amore local and earlier stage, for the benefit of both residents and landlords. “Two cases involve anti-social behaviour and


reinforce the need for action to be taken promptly whilst updating the resident as they are often living under stress. Our report also examines the role of mediation where theremay still be a realistic prospect of resolving a complaint without carrying out a full investigation as it can help to restore a more trusting landlord-resident relationship.” The quarterly Insight reports are part of our


continuing progress towards being amore open and transparent service and promoting positive change by sharing knowledge and learning fromour casework. All issues are available on our website. For further information on ourMeet the


Ombudsman events including how landlords can register interest in hosting an event, see ourMeet theOmbudsman page.


rowing tenant dis-satisfaction with social landlords is revealed in the HousingOmbudsman’s latest Insight


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