Tenant's persistent antisocial actions prompted their departure from residence, as determined by the Ombudsman
For over two decades, a resident has been grappling with nuisance issues in her property, only to find her reports going unanswered due to her landlord's officer being on long-term sick leave. The landlord, housing association Peabody, failed to reassign her case during this period.
The situation took a turn for the worse when the complaint was closed incorrectly, noting the resident as having passed away. Tragically, during this time, the resident lost her husband, further compounding her feelings of frustration and neglect.
Peabody's actions were found to lack professionalism, with critical failings against core legislation and its own procedures. The Housing Ombudsman, in its investigation, highlighted a sector-wide struggle with assessing vulnerability and offering support.
The Ombudsman's report ordered Peabody's chief executive to personally apologise to the resident and pay £2,000 in compensation. Moreover, the landlord was instructed to review how it manages Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB).
The Ombudsman expressed concern over Peabody's handling of the case, stating it lacked professionalism and did not follow its policies. In response, Peabody has introduced specialist community safety teams in each region it operates and created a dedicated complaints team.
The Ombudsman's recent Spotlight report includes recommendations to support landlords in managing knowledge and information. The report also ordered Peabody to monitor and review the action plan as promised when more reports were made.
However, the landlord's lack of action to assess the resident's vulnerability and offer support are significant failings. The Ombudsman's investigation followed the special report into Catalyst merging with Peabody, and placed Peabody at the center of an investigation report that demanded the establishment of specialized community safety teams and a complete review of its approach to anti-social behavior.
Despite the resident informing the landlord of her new property, it did not consider this information or tailor its approaches to the resident. The landlord could have provided evidence to seek other interventions to improve the situation at an earlier stage, according to the Ombudsman. The Housing Ombudsman found severe maladministration by housing association Peabody.
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