Ombudsman Wales issues repairs guidance for public sector and social landlords
Emily Price
Public sector and social landlords across Wales have been issued practice recommendations following complaints about damp, mould and disrepair.
Between 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2024, general housing complaints formed 17% of all complaints received by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW).
This was the second highest topic following healthcare (36%) related complaints.
Close to 800 of those complaints were about disrepair.
The ‘Living in Disrepair’ report published on Wednesday (November 13) concluded that occupiers should not have chase public bodies in order to see that remedial work is carried out.
‘Questions quality’
At the point of letting, landlords are required by law to ensure properties are both in repair and fit for habitation.
The report revealed pre-letting inspections of “questionable quality” in some of the complaints received by the Ombudsman.
It also found several cases of vulnerable occupiers who would have waited significantly longer for necessary works to be completed, were it not for the intervention of Ombudsman’s office.
Delay
Some complaint responses also appeared to be delayed whilst works were carried out in the meantime so that it could reflect well on the body.
The Ombudsman has now set out a series of recommendations to all public sector and social landlords in Wales:
- To undertake a stock survey, to better identify properties that are suffering from, or at risk of, damp and mould.
- To undertake a full and proper pre-letting inspection before an occupier moves in and completes all necessary works before the occupancy begins.
- To record repeated service requests as complaints when work has not been undertaken.
- To engage independent surveyors to inspect properties where complaints of serious disrepair are made.
Poor health
Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, Michelle Morris, said: “The link between poor housing and health has been well documented and a source of comment over many years.
“I am concerned at the apparent lack of proactivity by many landlords to identify and tackle those properties suffering from damp/mould, as opposed to waiting for the occupants to draw attention to the issue.
“As our casework demonstrates, it seems that it is only when proper inspections and surveys are undertaken, or when my office becomes involved, that landlords will swing into action. Ultimately, the longer an issue is left, the more costly it will be to rectify so it makes good business sense to be proactive.
“I call upon public sector/social landlords to reflect on my report, to action my recommendations and to engage with our Complaints Standards Authority to prepare for adoption of our model policy and training on complaint handling.”
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In my experience Cardiff Council housing maintenance system is broken. Houses fall unnecessarily into disrepair because many of the jobs needed are left too long, sometimes a year or more, by which time a small job becomes a whole house problem. In addition the standard of maintenance carried out is of such poor quality it’s a wasted effort. As an example a friends house was painted on the outside but the painters didn’t re secure the guttering properly before leaving. A windy day brought the whole lot down. It took the council months to refit by which time water had… Read more »
I am fed up of reading almost every day of someone complaining about black mould. People need to be educated into knowing the difference between penetrating damp and black mould. I understand that some properties suffer with penetrating damp but black mould is caused by warm air hitting cold spots on walls or anything cold turning into moisture and if not wiped off will turn into black mould very quickly. Most houses these days are insulated far too much which results in warm moist air within the property unable to escape. Between cavity wall and loft insulation and double or… Read more »
And where is RentSmart in all this ? They were very loud in their zeal to “sort out” the private landlord sector although they seemed more interested in picking off people with 1 or 2 properties rather than guys with larger estates with HMO’s and solo lettings. The lack of awareness was mind blowing. Frank’s example which differentiates between black mould ( most commonly caused by occupants) and penetrating damp ( a fabric or structural issue) seems beyond most tenants. More worryingly it was also beyond the RentSmart operatives. So how they propose to address a decaying public sector and… Read more »