The Housing Ombudsman has published a third severe maladministration finding for Clarion, which managed over 136,000 homes as at 31 March 2001, with previous findings being published in April and May. After the publication of the second severe administration finding the then Housing Secretary, Michael Gove, wrote to Clare Miller, Chief Executive of Clarion Housing Group, saying that “no one should have to live in a home with these conditions – and it should not take years to put them right” and criticising Clarion for being unable “to meet fundamental standards for [its] tenants”.
The third severe maladministration finding relates to Clarion’s cumulative failings in handling repairs to resolve a leak into a shower room (which the resident had consistently reported since the start of his tenancy several years ago) and the problems that followed with the resident’s shower and electrics. The leak also caused staining and damage to the walls and ceiling of the property.
The Ombudsman’s investigation found that “the full extent of the resident’s contact with the landlord could not be established due to failures in the landlord’s record keeping”. Two weeks ago the Ombudsman announced that record keeping will be the focus of a future systemic investigation with the aim of making recommendations and sharing learning across the social housing sector.
The Ombudsman’s investigation found:
- severe maladministration by Clarion for its handling of its repairs to resolve leaks in the resident’s property and subsequent reports of problems with the shower and electrics and
- service failure in Clarion’s handling of the complaint.
Clarion was ordered to:
- apologise to the resident
- pay compensation of £1,250 for its poor handling of repairs to resolve the leaks and of the formal complaint and
- arrange for a surveyor to assess the property, then for the landlord to share the findings with the resident and carry out all identified works within eight weeks.
The Ombudsman also recommended that Clarion review its record keeping practices for responsive repairs, and consider providing further staff guidance and training.