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The Housing Ombudsman has met its target to determine cases in an average of under six months for the first time.
In its 2019/20 annual report, the complaints arbitration service revealed that it took an average of 5.8 months to conclude formal investigations over the year.
That is down from 6.7 months for 2018/19 and represents the first time the ombudsman – which has been criticised for slowness in the past – has hit the key target.
The service aspires to cut average determination times to just three months within two years.
Housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway hailed it the “best performance against targets in recent times”.
Over 2019/20, the ombudsman issued conclusions for 2,138 cases, down slightly from 2,214. This came against a trend of annual increases over the previous four years.
Of the 2,138 conclusions, it found maladministration or partial maladministration by a landlord in 834 cases (39%) – a two percentage point increase from 2018/19, which the report said indicates that complaints entering its formal remit tended to be “more serious”.
Landlords were ordered to pay compensation to residents totalling £412,214.54 in 2019/20, with the ombudsman issuing 1,618 orders and 999 recommendations.
Repairs continued to account for the largest number of complaints, representing 38% of all cases.
Health and safety-related complaints made up 12% of the total – up from 4% in 2018/19.
The ombudsman received 14,903 enquiries and complaints in total, down from 16,294 last year, and closed 15,832 cases.
It did not make any formal referrals to the Regulator of Social Housing regarding non-compliance with orders – but from the start of 2020/21 will share details of all severe maladministration findings.
Mr Blakeway said: “We were able to quickly transition to effective remote working at the end of the year following the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to provide a full service.
“Our service will be even more important as we move forward and we remain committed to delivering our plans to expand and change the service, ensuring the ombudsman is integral to a healthier housing system.”
The Housing Ombudsman is set to implement a much tougher new scheme this year, under which it will issue “complaint handling failure orders” and name landlords found at fault.
Its annual report said that introducing the new operating model “is highly dependent on successful recruitment”, with a “significant risk” over its ability to fill all vacant roles during the pandemic.
Housing Ombudsman membership is compulsory for social landlords, while some private landlords are voluntary members.
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