Ombudsman launches ‘call for evidence’ to explore issues in housing maintenance

A consultation on the new rules, published in January, proposed that social landlords should be required to investigate hazards within 14 days, start fixing within a further seven days, and make emergency repairs within 24 hours.

The investigation report will also look at the complex relationships between landlords, contractors and residents, with a particular focus on accountability, roles and responsibilities.

It will examine the experiences of residents and operatives on the ground as well as the breakdown in relationships that can happen between a landlord and its residents. 

The ‘call for evidence’ will be open for more than 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. The ombudsman will also speak to residents through its resident panel.

The ombudsman is targeting residents and repair operatives, and landlords and contractors employed by them. The body said it is also seeking views from MPs and councillors for the first time, with both reporting housing repair issues as being a common issue for their constituents. 

The Housing Ombudsman said it encourages all stakeholders to participate to contribute their insights and experiences. Submissions can be made on its website until Friday 25 October 2024.

The questions in the call for evidence will cover four themes.

These include: the main issues landlords face when contracting services, what causes these issues, what impact they have, what problems residents encounter with these services, and the underlying reasons for and effects of the issues.

They also ask what barriers operatives experience in delivering services, the root causes, and the repercussions, and what lessons have been learned from cases with no maladministration and successful initiatives within the sector.

Housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway said the report will explore solutions that can help both landlords and contractors provide improved services to residents and seeks to understand residents’ perspectives on the necessary changes to achieve better outcomes.

He said the 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”.

Mr Blakeway 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.

“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.”

In July, the Housing Ombudsman and the Regulator of Social Housing made a fresh commitment to work together, including sharing information on landlords, in a memorandum of understanding. 

During the same month, the ombudsman wrote to social landlords to share “serious concerns” over the handling of window-related complaints.