The Housing Ombudsman has published a special investigation report into the London Borough of Camden’s landlord services, finding evidence of “a defensive complaints culture”, with documents containing dismissive tones that run the risk of discouraging the acknowledgement of valid complaints.
However, the ombudsman said the landlord had implemented various improvements during the investigation in key places where failings were found.
The investigation was prompted by a significant volume of severe maladministration findings. In the report, the ombudsman investigated 57 individual complaints, making 124 findings of maladministration where obligations, policies, or processes were not followed, with a detrimental impact on the residents involved.
This represents a maladministration rate of 83% during 2023-24. The Ombudsman also made 275 orders on these cases to make things right for residents.
In one case, a resident with arthritis and other health needs, who relies on a service dog, experienced outages to a lift over an extensive period, with it estimated to be broken 686 days out of the 1,051 he had lived in the block. This left him having to navigate stairs multiple times daily.
The landlord did not consider a temporary move, so the resident moved himself to a wooden shack with no heating or hot water. The landlord had previously received complaints about the lift but did not learn from these to prevent the impact on the resident. Since this determination, the landlord succeeded in finding long-term, permanent accommodation for this resident.
In another case about renovation works, a leaseholder waited 2,337 days for a response to their complaint.
Property condition was the main driver for complaints with the landlord. Its repairs management suffered from record-keeping inaccuracies and gaps, significantly contributing to failures in cases. Key issues included unlinked repair histories, neglected follow-ups on inspections, stalled repairs lacking explanations, repeated unsuccessful repair attempts and poor communication with residents.
These problems spanned various repair types, such as damp, leaks, and pest infestations, highlighting systemic inefficiencies. To improve the management of repairs the report recommended the landlord establish a systematic process for tracking outstanding repairs through to completion.
In 80% of the complaints relating to property condition, the repairs were outstanding after the landlord’s final response, and 100% of findings have been upheld on complaint handling since April 2024 to September 2024.
The Ombudsman has requested the landlord provide an action plan to address the report’s recommendations and will continue to engage with it.
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “This special investigation highlights the critical importance of effective complaint handling as a fundamental aspect of providing safe and decent housing.
“The landlord needs to understand why several opportunities are missed to put things right, which may leave residents living in unsuitable and avoidable conditions. This includes a resident living with persistent disrepair, including damp and mould, for over three years, severely impacting her mental health. The issues weren’t addressed until the ombudsman intervened.
“To build trust and ensure residents’ voices are genuinely heard, comprehensive training and a strategic shift towards proactive, respectful engagement are imperative as the landlord continues to improve its services.”
