The Housing Ombudsman has launched its latest ‘Call for Evidence’ to inform its next Spotlight report, titled ‘Repairing Trust’, which will explore common issues in housing maintenance.
This follows an unprecedented rise in complaints relating to disrepair, combined with increasing costs and skills shortages. In many cases, this is significantly impacting upon residents’ safety in their homes.
The report will highlight some of the positive changes landlords have made to rise to the maintenance challenge and support landlords prepare for the introduction of Awaab’s Law, which will for the first time set statutory repair timescales and record-keeping requirements.
The investigation report will also examine the complex relationships between landlords, contractors, and residents, with a particular focus on accountability, roles, and responsibilities. It will examine the experiences of operatives on the ground as well as residents and the breakdown in relationships that can happen between the landlord and residents.
The Call for Evidence will be open for over 12 weeks and will be accompanied by casework reviews and fieldwork involving the Ombudsman meeting with landlords and contractors across the country, including in Liverpool, Cornwall and London. We will also speak to residents through our Resident Panel.
The Ombudsman is targeting residents and repair operatives, alongside landlords and contractors employed by them. For the first time, the Ombudsman is also seeking views from MPs and councillors, with both reporting housing repair issues as being a common issue for their constituents.
The Housing Ombudsman encourages all stakeholders to participate to contribute their insights and experiences. Submissions can be made using the Housing Ombudsman’s website until Friday 25 October 2024.
The questions will cover 4 themes:
- what are the main issues landlords face when contracting services, what causes these issues, and what impact do they have?
- what problems do residents encounter with these services, the underlying reasons, and their effects?
- what barriers do operatives experience in delivering services, the root causes, and the repercussions?
- what are the lessons learned from cases with no maladministration and successful initiatives within the sector?
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said:
“Social housing is vital to this country but maintaining existing homes is becoming more complex and costly. There are strong indications in our casework that trust between some residents and landlords is deeply fractured. The situation is becoming extremely challenging, with residents frustrated and landlord staff fatigued. I am especially concerned to hear more reports by residents of poor staff conduct while landlords are also telling us of operatives reporting challenging behaviour by residents.
“This situation is not sustainable and exists despite significant investment by housing providers and unprecedented focus on repairs. The result is a significant strain on complaints procedures and more legal action and the rising skills shortage will compound existing pressures. The report will look to explore solutions that can help both landlords and contractors in providing improved services to residents.
“Additionally, it seeks to understand residents’ perspectives on the necessary changes to achieve better outcomes.
“This Call for Evidence is a crucial step in understanding the challenges and opportunities in housing maintenance. By involving a wide range of voices, perspectives and experiences. we aim to identify common issues, understand root causes, and highlight best practices to ensure the maintenance of decent home standards.
“Our final report will aim to provide practical recommendations and foster a deeper trust between residents and landlords to ensure that maintenance services are both effective and reliable.”