Ombudsman special investigation reveals ‘multiple and repeated failures’ at London council

For others, there was a fear of being injured because of the ongoing repairs, the watchdog added.

Residents had to spend additional money to keep their properties heated during the winter months, with some choosing to pay for their own independent inspections to progress repairs.

The ombudsman investigation was launched in May 2023 following several cases involving severe maladministration, after which the council was ordered to pay over £18,000 in compensation to residents. 

The watchdog highlighted multiple failings with Hammersmith and Fulham’s handling of repairs, including the landlord not hitting emergency or routine repair timescales.

Not following procedures led to incorrect contractors being sent, repairs being left incomplete and issues reoccurring, it added. The landlord also was not routinely updating records in a timely manner, meaning there was often confusion about whether works had taken place.

When the landlord terminated its agreement with one contractor, residents “suffered” between the transition, it said. Additionally, a lack of a vulnerabilities policy or failure to follow it “if it existed” resulted in vulnerable residents being left in properties that “impacted their physical and mental health”.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council also received criticism for its complaint-handling. It initially failed to escalate 40% of cases investigated, and in three of these cases, it only did so after the involvement of the ombudsman. It also highlighted “extensive delays” in many of the responses.

These did not always provide an adequate level of detail, or were incorrect or contradictory of previous responses. The landlord sometimes failed to action the promises made in the responses.

In addition, the council did not appear to follow its own compensation policy, and the difference between initial offer and final compensation payment was sometimes “significant”.

The completed report made 138 orders to make things right. The ombudsman recommended that the landlord should update its repairs and maintenance handbook, create a knowledge and information management framework for all stages of the repairs process.

At the same time, it should review its whole complaints procedure to ensure it is compliant with the complaint-handling code.

Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman, said the leadership of the landlord “should be commended” for the “proactive and positive approach it has taken to learn from this investigation”.

He continued: “The landlord appeared to be operating in crisis management mode for a number of years.

“Central to this investigation is the handling the short-term impact of the removal of a contractor when some residents were living with unacceptable service failures that required redress. This provides cautionary evidence for other landlords.

“The human impact of multiple and repeated failures in service delivery is apparent throughout our report. In some cases, those failures led to residents feeling anything but secure in their homes and on the streets.”

In its learning statement, Hammersmith and Fulham Council said: “We are truly sorry and reiterate our deepest regrets to those residents affected. We have apologised, compensated and worked hard to rectify where we let people down.”

The local authority explained it had established a taskforce to strengthen its housing services and leadership team. It is also delivering a £729m programme to modernise its housing stock and has “invested heavily” in additional repairs contractor capacity.

In June 2023, it established a housing hub to increase focus and expertise in customer service and complaints handling.