Housing Ombudsman tables reveal record number of complaint-handling failure orders over past quarter

The latest figures come after Mr Blakeway said his team would be accelerating three investigations into Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) after a coroner ruled that two-year-old Awaab Ishak died due to prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s housing association flat.

An inquest by the Rochdale Coroner’s Office heard that Awaab’s father, Faisal Abdullah, had previously complained to RBH about the mould.

As part of these investigations, Housing Ombudsman staff will for the first time use a power that allows them to “gather any information required, including interviews with staff”.

The watchdog also launched a call for evidence ahead of a new investigation into the “systemic and sector-wide” issue of record-keeping and data management.

Complaint-handlers at social landlords have been asked to provide evidence for the probe, which seeks to “understand more” about the current barriers to information management.

Of the latest batch of complaint-handing failure orders, 39 were complied with in the target timescale.

Six landlords – A2Dominion, Metropolitan Thames Valley and Haringey, Sheffield, Lambeth and Manchester councils – failed to comply within the timescale, each in relation to a single order. 

A2Dominion received four orders for cases that were complied within the time and those that were not. 

Meanwhile, L&Q and Birmingham and Southwark councils were hit with three orders each.

Wandle, Notting Hill Genesis and Sheffield, Lambeth and Harrow councils each received two orders.

The full list of landlords affected are displayed in the tables below.

The Housing Ombudsman issues three types of orders, two of which relate to “unreasonable” delays around complaints within its internal processes (Type 1) or around information requested by the watchdog (Type 2). 

Landlords that do not comply with their membership obligations without adequate explanation, or fail to take remedial action, are hit with a Type 3 order.

Complaint-handling failure orders are designed to ensure that landlords’ complaint-handling processes are accessible and consistent, as well as enable the timely progression of complaints for residents, as set out in the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.

The orders should also help landlords identify where their complaints procedure may need to be strengthened in line with the code.

Mr Blakeway said the latest figures “reinforce the need for landlords to re-evaluate [whether] their complaint teams have the necessary resources to do their jobs so they can deal with complaints effectively”.

“We recognise the financial pressures on landlords, but it makes complaints and the learning from those complaints even more important to help maintain effective services,” he added.