England’s biggest social housing providers ignore official complaint warnings

England’s biggest social housing providers ignore official complaint warnings

10:01 AM, 19th September 2023, About 8 months ago 4

Text Size

Several of the largest social housing providers in England are persistently ignoring official warnings from the housing ombudsman over how to improve their handling of tenants’ complaints – and the situation is getting worse.

Landlords such as L&Q, Southwark Council and A2Dominion Group, who are responsible for 142,000 affordable homes, have failed to address issues over their delayed responses to tenant complaints and giving the required information to the ombudsman.

Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman, says that in just three months, his office issued 43 ‘complaints handling failure orders’ to these landlords, and a record-breaking 18 have not been addressed.

‘Exceptional for us to issue a failure order’

Mr Blakeway says: “It is exceptional for us to issue a failure order and every one comes after several attempts to engage the landlord.

“For a landlord to receive several and not comply, indicates its complaints procedure is not working as it should.

“The result is residents continually waiting for redress and landlords missing opportunities to put something right sooner.”

He adds: “It is vital landlords assess their complaints procedure as the Complaint Handling Code becomes statutory.

“This means ensuring its complaints team has the resources and leverage within the landlord to do its job.”

Did not comply with the ombudsman’s orders

Other landlords that did not comply with the ombudsman‘s orders include Alpha Housing Co-operative, Arneway Housing Co-operative, Haringey Council, Reliance Social Housing C.I.C, Barking and Dagenham Council, Aves Housing, Ash-Shahada Housing Association, Polish Retired Persons Housing Association, Havering Council and My Space Housing Solutions.


Share This Article


Comments

Reluctant Landlord

11:51 AM, 19th September 2023, About 8 months ago

Ombudsman is a soppy as a wet fish. Totally useless.

THE GENERAL

23:09 PM, 19th September 2023, About 8 months ago

They will be major consequences for these housing associations to treat the residents with the respect they deserve if a complaint is raised do you job to address the issues big up the ombudsman for bringing this to account social housing tenants deserve to be treated like human beings just housing associations think they can get away with all sorts

Reluctant Landlord

8:56 AM, 20th September 2023, About 8 months ago

Reply to the comment left by THE GENERAL at 19/09/2023 - 23:09
no major consequences at all.

Do you really think anyone is going to shut them down for such major failings? Then what? Another totally useless and probably non compliant HA takes on all their tenants?

The government wont want to take it on either. Who the hell would??

With the systematic decemationof the PRS,
tenants are screwed unless they are employed, financially stable, perfect credentials, and have the money to afford an all singing, all danging fully, spec, tiny eco box from an investiment company who will ultimately charge sky high rents and serviced charges for the priviledge.

I can see the queue of tenants lining up now....not!

Whiteskifreak Surrey

9:27 AM, 20th September 2023, About 8 months ago

Reply to the comment left by THE GENERAL at 19/09/2023 - 23:09
Absolutely zero consequences, I am afraid.
However if that was a private landllord there will be a national scandal, all the busybodies like Shelter and GR would be writing in all national newspapers and the hell will open.

Leave Comments

In order to post comments you will need to Sign In or Sign Up for a FREE Membership

or

Don't have an account? Sign Up

Landlord Tax Planning Book Now