Housing Secretary shames three more failing social housing landlords

Wednesday, 28 December 2022 10:12

Three more social housing landlords have been named and shamed by Housing Secretary Michael Gove today (28 December) for failing residents, as he urged lawyers to direct tenants to the Housing Ombudsman to save them time and money. Michael Gove has demanded answers and action from Orbit Housing, Lambeth Council and Birmingham City Council after the Ombudsman found severe maladministration in their handling of complaints. It brings the total number of landlords...Request free trial

Michael Gove has demanded answers and action from Orbit Housing, Lambeth Council and Birmingham City Council after the Ombudsman found severe maladministration in their handling of complaints.

It brings the total number of landlords that have been publicly criticised by the Housing Secretary this year for poor performance to 14 and the total amount of compensation that sub-standard landlords have been ordered to pay to social housing tenants by the Ombudsman, in 2022-23 to date, to over £574,000.

In a letter to the Law Society, Citizens Advice, and Housing Law Practitioners Association today, Michael Gove has urged solicitors to tell social housing tenants that the Ombudsman should be the first route for reporting complaints with their landlord – and that it is unacceptable for landlords to let legal proceedings get in the way of repairs.

While lawyers will always have a crucial role representing tenants in legal proceedings, the Ombudsman services are free to use and residents are now able to bring complaints directly themselves, potentially avoiding lengthy and costly legal proceedings.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove said:

“Each of these landlords have failed their tenants, letting people suffer in disgraceful conditions while refusing to listen to complaints or treat them with respect.

“Housing providers will have nowhere to hide once our Social Housing Bill becomes law early next year. A beefed-up Regulator will have the power to enter properties with only 48 hours’ notice and make emergency repairs with landlords footing the bill.

“I’m urging everyone offering advice, from solicitors to voluntary organisations, to always direct social housing tenants with complaints to the Housing Ombudsman. Every tenant deserves a decent home, and landlords must not use legal cases as an excuse to delay making repairs or act on complaints.”

Orbit Housing was ordered to pay a resident £5,000 after damp and mould issues went untreated, while Birmingham City Council (second letter this year) failed to respond to resident’s complaints of boiler faults and rotten floorboards in the living room.

In Lambeth, the Council did not repair damaged windows in a fifth-floor flat that fell out of their frames onto the ground below, leaving a resident with boarded up windows during winter, causing mould which damaged their possessions.

They follow 11 other providers to have faced severe maladministration findings from the Ombudsman. Including Clarion (four this year) who did not repair a tenant’s leaking room with rainwater leaking down walls and cracks in every room, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing who failed to resolve an infestation of silverfish and Johnnie Johnson Housing who had to pay £1,800 compensation after a resident suffered verbal abuse, threats and intimidation at the hands of his neighbours.

London Borough of Hackney, Housing Plus Group (was Stafford Rural homes), Habinteg Housing, Shepherd’s Bush Housing, Southern Housing, Onward Homes, Catalyst, PA Housing, are the others to have been criticised.

Ten per cent of homes in the social rented sector failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard in 2021-22, with 177,000 social homes affected by damp, according to statistics from the English Housing Survey published earlier this month.

The disgraceful conditions social housing tenants are living in was brought into sharp focus this year, when a coroner ruled Awaab Ishak’s death was caused by the damp and mould in his home. The Housing Secretary announced last month that he will block government funding to any housing provider that breaches the Regulator of Social Housing’s consumer standards until they can prove they are a responsible landlord, with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing the first provider to be sanctioned.

The Social Housing (Regulation) Bill will drive up standards in social housing - tackling damp, cold, unsafe homes, making sure landlords don’t ignore tenants and bolstering the Regulator’s power to act.

The government is also launching a £1 million public information campaign early next year to make sure tenants know their rights, including about the work of the Ombudsman, and can hold housing providers to account.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The Housing Ombudsman’s severe maladministration findings for 2022 can be found here: https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/about-us/corporate-information/publications/severe-maladministration-findings/
The Housing Ombudsman has ordered £574,421 compensation be paid to tenants in the eight months to November 2022.

Housing provider	Date of SoS letter(s)	Complaints
Clarion	23 May, 18 November, 1 December	Clarion failed to repair a tenant’s leaking roof, causing serious damp and mould inside the house with rainwater leaking down walls and cracks in every room impacting the family’s health and living. The roof eventually needed a full replacement and the tenant had to move into a hotel for 4-6 weeks. In a separate case, a tenant had to sleep on her sofa due to rodent infestation with mice and droppings in almost every room. Clarion also failed to deal with a resident’s request to be removed from a tenancy, meaning they did not have a secure home for two years as they were unable to start a new tenancy.
London Borough of Hackney	27 May	Took over two years to repair damp and mould issues at a property. Landlord was ordered to pay compensation of £1,500.
Housing Plus Group (formerly Stafford Rural Homes)	20 June	Severe maladministration for its complaint handling of damp and mould and bedbug infestation.
Habinteg housing	14 July (Minister Hughes)	The landlord failed to act appropriately when dealing with a reported hate crime incident from a tenant, closing the case after the alleged perpetrator told them that the police would not be looking into it. This turned out not to be correct.
Shepherd’s Bush Housing	19 July (Minister Hughes)	Took over two years to fix a roof leak despite tenant making numerous complaints over several years.
Birmingham City Council	1 August, 28 December	The landlord took four months to fix a severe leak outside a tenant’s property, despite the tenant raising the issue multiple times. The landlord told the tenant they would need to claim for any damage on their own insurance. In a separate case, the council failed to respond to resident’s complaints of disrepairs including boiler faults, damp in the kitchen, hallway, bathroom, and living room and rotten floorboards in the living room.
Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing	8 August (Minister Hughes)	The landlord failed to investigate and resolve an infestation of silverfish, which was causing significant distress to the young family living in the property. The family ended their tenancy and moved out of the property as a result of the lack of action.
Southern Housing	18 November	Failed to tackle damp and mould at a property, only mould washing and redecorating when the problem came back year after year. Failed to investigate and establish the cause or communicate effectively with the resident.
Onward Homes	18 November	Resident had reported damp and mould issues since February 2020 caused by rotten frames in the bedroom where she was no longer able to sleep. The damp caused stress which exacerbated her seizures. The landlord was ordered to pay a total of £2,175 in compensation, apologise and urgently tasked to determine if the property was still habitable, if not the resident must be rehoused.
Catalyst	18 November	Landlord took 18 months to partially fix a cold and draughty shared ownership home causing the resident to worry about how they would keep the property warm through the winter for her young family. The landlord was fined £1,650 and ordered to resolve the faults in the property that are still outstanding over two years later.
Johnnie Johnson Housing	18 November	Resident suffered verbal abuse, threats and intimidation at the hands of his neighbours. Failures to handle the complaint and poor record keeping meant the situation was unresolved for months causing significant distress. The landlord paid £1,800 in compensation and was ordered to urgently review its complaints policy and procedure.
PA Housing	18 November	A leak was allowed to go unresolved for months despite requiring emergency repairs. This meant the resident could not use her bedroom for a long period causing significant discomfort and distress. The landlord was ordered to pay £2,830 in compensation having only offered £150 originally.
Orbit Housing	28 December	Ordered to pay the resident £5000 compensation after damp and mould issues went untreated and complaints not handled properly dating from September 2018 to May 2022. The landlord was also told to provide a sincere apology, in writing and at a senior level, for the extensive failures.
Lambeth Council	28 December	Did not carry out repairs following complaints about faulty windows, meaning two panels from a fifth floor flat fell out of their frames onto the ground below. The landlord temporarily fitted wooden boards. The resident had no choice but to live in a flat with a boarded bedroom window that let in rain and a cold draught in winter. Damp and mould caused significant damage to the residents personal possessions.