Common failures among landlord inspections have been identified in a Housing Ombudsman report into how damp and mould is tackled in social housing.
The ‘Learning from Severe Maladministration’ report found four common landlord failings, including failing to do an inspection or the inspection being limited or incomplete, not reconciling outcomes from multiple or conflicting inspections, a disconnect between inspector recommendations and the landlord’s proposed works, and poorly communicated inspection results.
The Housing Ombudsman carried out the report, focusing on inspections and knowledge and information management within damp and mould complaints.
In one instance, at a Greenwich Council-let property, parts of a home became uninhabitable after works to repair damp and mould were delayed for two years.
In this time, a resident had claimed that a baby living in the property developed a continuous cough for eight weeks and was prescribed an inhaler.
In its learning from this case, the landlord said its repairs service was undergoing long-term transformation, and it has provided staff with refresher training and guidance on how to accurately record conditions within a property.
In another case, L&G was found to have failed to undertake works following inspections for over a decade.
In its learning from this case, the landlord said it had undertaken 32,000 home visits and introduced new policies, procedures, and staff training focused on damp and mould.
The report has been published ahead of Awaab’s Law coming into effect in October 2025, which will legally require landlords to investigate and fix dangerous damp and mould in set time periods.
Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway said “With Awaab’s Law, these silences will need to stop, with communication with residents being open, specific and accurate.
“Poor communication can also be the result of poor records.
“Once more, weaknesses in knowledge and information management are shown to hamper the landlord’s response to residents, including knowing the status of repairs.
“While there has been some progress on records management, these cases are a reminder for senior leaders to continue focusing on this issue.”
