Industry News Housing Ombudsman re-appointed for another three years


Richard Blakeway has been re-appointed as the Housing Ombudsman for a further three years by Eddie Hughes, the Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing. Te re-appointment runs until 31 August 2025.


Blakeway was first appointed to the role in 2019 and since then the Ombudsman service has become noticeably higher profile in championing tenants’ causes and holding social landlords to account. Further backing for the Ombudsman’s work was


evident when the Government declared it will name and shame all social landlords that receive severe maladministration findings from the Housing


Ombudsman, as well as writing to them. Te Ombudsman has a total of 2,316 member


landlords representing 4.7 million households. In 2020/21 the Ombudsman issued 3,455 orders and recommendations following investigations and made awards of compensation totalling £450,000 towards tenants and leaseholders. Te Ombudsman can make findings of


maladministration where they find a landlord has failed to do something, done something it should not have done or it’s actions have caused unreasonable delays in service delivery or putting things right.


In the most serious cases residents have usually


experienced problems over a lengthy period and there were missed opportunities for the landlord to resolve the issue. Recently this has oſten included completing repairs, or dealing with leaks, damp and mould. Tere have been 20 severe maladministration


findings against social landlords between September 2021 and August this year. Six were against councils while the other 14 were against housing associations. Te largest association in the country, Clarion has received three of the severe maladministration findings.


Severe maladministration for social landlord’s inadequate response to silverfish infestation


Metropolitan Tames Valley’s failings in responding to a silverfish infestation at a resident’s flat led to a finding of severe maladministration by the Housing Ombudsman. It was also ordered to apologise to the resident for its failings and to pay her additional compensation of £1,800 for the distress and inconvenience caused. Te Ombudsman found the landlord’s original


offer of compensation did not reflect the significant impact on the family, caused by the association’s failure to carry out adequate repairs to address the damp caused by leaks which led to the continuing silverfish infestation. Te resident reported an infestation of silverfish


that she said had been there for a long time. Te landlord arranged for an insecticide spray under the bath but a few months later said it would not treat the infestation. Te landlord was responsible for leaks in the flat and did ask the pest control contractor to check for leaks but there was no evidence it was done at the time. Te resident reported the infestation continuing


and commissioned a survey which found silverfish in several rooms and identified three leaks, which the resident told the landlord of. Tere


was conflicting evidence about when these were resolved, as the resident had continued to report leaks that she said had not been checked. Te Ombudsman found that dampness caused


by leaks was still affecting the property a year aſter they were reported to the landlord, although it is recognised that completing repairs was affected by lockdown. During this time the landlord had a lot of


evidence about the impact on the family. Te resident said she had moved out because her two daughters were scared. She had contacted an advice agency who wrote to the landlord saying the silverfish had got into clothing, children’s toys and books and in the beds. Te family had to check clothing before putting


them on and inspect food packets before eating. Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman,


said: “Tis infestation had a profound impact on the resident and her family. Te landlord’s delay in dealing with the repairs and putting right the ongoing dampness together with its failure to use its discretion to consider a decant amounted to severe maladministration. “Although the landlord acknowledged that it had


not resolved the matters in an acceptable timeframe and had offered compensation, this did not reflect the significant impact on the family. It would have been fair to have considered a temporary decant in the circumstances. “We made an order for additional redress to


be paid to the resident to reflect the considerable inconvenience caused and the landlord’s failure to consider a decant. Te sum reflects that three people were affected by this failing. “We found no maladministration for the


landlord’s handling of the resident’s request to be rehoused.” A spokesperson for MTVH said it has since


consulted with environmental health experts to review its approach towards silverfish and acting on their advice, silverfish have now been added to its list of hazardous pests. “We have redesigned our processes to better


support our residents. Reports for silverfish are now sent to our pest control contractor to survey, treat the site, and provide a report to our Estates team on the cause of infestation. Tis report is then actioned by the relevant team to ensure appropriate action is taken swiſtly.”


Rent freeze and ban on evictions for tenants in Scotland


Te Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced a rent freeze for public and private properties and a ban on winter evictions, in a package of measures to combat the cost of living crisis. Te announcement came just a week aſter the


Scottish Housing Regulator said the number of social tenants in rent arrears in Scotland was at its highest ever level, with social landlords owed rent arrears of £169,626,857, representing 6.3 per cent of


the total due, up from 6.1 per cent. Describing pressures on household budgets as a


“humanitarian emergency”, Ms Sturgeon set out the annual programme for government as the Holyrood parliament met for the first time since the summer recess. Te freeze on rents and evictions is expected to run until the end of March next year. Te Scottish tenants’ union, Living Rent,


welcomed the freeze but added: “We know that rents are already too high and have increased by


18 | HMMOctober/November 2022 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


over 60 per cent in Scottish cities in the last 10 years. Tis rent freeze will need to stay in place until the Scottish government brings in proper rent controls that push rents down.” But John Blackwood, the chief executive of the


Scottish Association of Landlords, accused the government of “attacking landlords for political reasons”, suggesting that the proposals “will only further reduce the supply of housing, putting more people at risk”.


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