Housing Ombudsman expects to deliver “four-fold rise” in investigations

This comes as the Ombudsman has started to consult on its business plan for 2023-24, which aims to deliver an “independent, visible and proactive service” for social housing residents and landlords.

The Ombudsman notes that the consultation comes after the inquest into the "tragic and preventable death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak", due to mould exposure in his Rochdale flat.

The period following the inquest led to another surge in enquiries and complaints to the service which has been handling “unprecedented volumes of casework since 2021-22”, the Ombudsman revealed.

Other factors expected to lead to more complaints in 2023-24 include the “cost-of-living crisis, economic pressures and heightened media coverage”.

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To ensure the Ombudsman can meet demand, growth forecasts have been “significantly increased above its original assumptions” and it expects to deliver over 10,000 investigations in 2023-24.

The service has introduced a new operating model improving efficiency and the plan sets out the resources required to deliver “timeliness, quality and impact”, the Ombudsman added.

The plan anticipates a year of further change for social landlords with the progression of the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill and reforms in the Social Housing White Paper.

The consultation, open until 27 February 2023, seeks views to help the Ombudsman deliver its awareness raising and Centre for Learning activities, representing two of the three strategic programmes set out in the corporate plan.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman said: “Recent events in the sector mean the Ombudsman has never had such significance: both in setting standards for local complaint handling, resolving individual disputes and promoting learning from complaints to improve services.  

“The cases we are handling are more complex and this is reflected in the tenfold increase in severe maladministration findings. We are ordering more remedies to put things right – from repairs to apologies – alongside some significant compensation awards. The unabated demand for independent dispute resolution and engagement with our work will require a step-change in resources and approach to support landlords in delivering service change and prevent complaints from arising.

“But ever-increasing demand does not mean that all residents are able to access or are aware of the Ombudsman. So, we will be delivering activities to reach those residents who complain least and are consulting on what further information we can develop to raise awareness and understanding of our role. This includes complaints being seen as a genuine alternative to the courts.

"Encouraging learning to improve services should be a key area of focus for landlords as they respond to the operational challenges ahead, not least pro-active consumer regulation. Our 2023-24 business plan will see the delivery of our Centre for Learning platform and we are seeking resident and landlord views on the learning tools they would most value.”

Lottie Winson