The Housing Ombudsman has warned landlords against ignoring safety complaints from tenants, with concern that issues can be left for months or years before resolution.
In its latest monthly maladministration report, the Housing Ombudsman flagged 23 complaints against housing associations throughout the country.
These covered the “big six” building safety compliance areas including fire, water, gas, electrics, asbestos and lifts.
In one case, a family was forced to cover a hole in their ceiling with a black bin bag for two years despite their landlord knowing asbestos was present.
In another case, a resident was unable to access drinking water because black slime would come out of their taps for years.
Commenting, Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway expressed particular concern at how long such issues were left unresolved and is urging landlords to become more responsive.
“The impact on a household can be profound, with some landlords doing too little to recognise the poor conditions some residents have been left to live in,” said Richard.
“These complaints can also provide vital intelligence for boards to seek assurance that failings in policy, process or systems won’t be repeated and for the executive to deconstruct the case to learn lessons.”
