Housing Ombudsman publishes severe maladministration report on leaks

The report uncovered clear themes in landlords’ responses, including poor diagnosis, excessive delays and a failure to consider vulnerabilities.

The Ombudsman said: “The sector should be handing leaks more effectively under obligations in the Landlord and Tenant Act and the introduction of Awaab’s Law will require proactive and timely resolution.”

The report’s findings included a case where a resident was decanted for nearly two years whilst the landlord failed to deal with a leak. In another case, the Ombudsman found residents chasing landlords repeatedly with little to no action being taken. This resulted in ceilings collapsing or extensive damage to personal belongings and furniture.

Landlords highlighted in this report were:

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Arhag Housing Association
Birmingham City Council
Clarion
Ealing Council
Gentoo Group
Hackney Council
Haringey Council
Homes Plus Group
Irwell Valley Housing Association
Islington Council
Lambeth Council
L&Q
Metropolitan Thames Valley
Milton Keynes Council
Newham Council
One Housing Group
PA Housing
Peabody
Platform Housing Group
Redbridge Council
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Sanctuary
Shepherds Bush Housing Group
Southern Housing
Tower Hamlets Council
Wandle
Welwyn Hatfield Council

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “Leaks can be complex and challenging. These cases show how leaks can also cause acute distress and disruption to families and the sector needs to be more consistent and robust in response.

“There are common strands of learning from these cases and various moments when the landlord could have taken decisive action to make things right for the resident and restore trust in its ability to resolve these issues.”

Blakeway added: “Too often the basics are not being done right in these cases and that compounds what is already a complex area to deal with. Landlords must identify these key touchpoints during the lifetime of these cases, and act appropriately to mitigate the impact on families and households.

“These cases also reveal in stark terms that some landlords are not ready for Awaab’s Law and how widely variable landlord policy and practice can be, which is neither desirable nor sustainable.”

The full ‘Learning from: Severe Maladministration’ report, including responses from the landlords, is available here.

Harry Rodd