The UK’s Housing Ombudsman has published a report titled ‘Learning from severe maladministration’, with a particular focus on antisocial behaviour (ASB), a significant concern within the country’s social housing sector.
The report aims to ensure that the realities of these cases are addressed so that valuable lessons can be learned and applied.
The report identifies five key themes where consistent failings have reportedly been observed: action plans, risk assessments, collaboration with other agencies, hate crime response, and communication and complaint handling.
These themes are seen as critical in providing effective services that uphold the safety and security of social housing residents.
The ombudsman’s findings reveal a need for a broader discussion on the effectiveness of multiagency cooperation, resource allocation, and strategies in handling complex ASB cases.
ASB is the second most common source of complaints to the ombudsman, yet in 2023-24, the body upheld only 62% of findings, which suggests that landlords are demonstrating better practices compared to other service areas.
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By GlobalDataThe report also noted that ASB has also been a priority for successive governments. However, the ongoing issues highlighted in the report emphasise the urgent need to share best practices for managing complex ASB cases effectively. These issues often stem from neglect or oversight.
The landlords mentioned in the report include Bristol City Council, Clarion, L&Q, Newham Council, Notting Hill Genesis, Orbit Group, Peabody, Sanctuary, Southwark Council, and Watford Community Housing.
The Housing Ombudsman’s Richard Blakeway said: “This report includes some of the most demanding and distressing cases we have seen. It demonstrates how social landlords’ role goes beyond bricks and mortar, handling racism, homophobia, self-harm, suicide and domestic violence. The impact of these issues will have been felt by communities as well as the individual residents, and by the landlord staff handling them.”
“It shows how vital the social housing sector’s presence can be in the wider community, managing tenancies, estates and neighbourhoods, often working alongside other organisations.
“While some of the events may make this report difficult to read, we cannot shy away from the reality of these experiences without losing the lessons to support landlords to deal with it.”
