The Housing Ombudsman has published a severe maladministration finding for London Borough of Haringey. The council’s housing management organisation, Homes for Haringey, failed to deal with a vulnerable resident’s complaint about a leaking roof that caused damp and mould, despite being aware of the resident’s vulnerability due to her medical condition. The resident experienced unexplained delays and a lack of communication from Haringey.
The Ombudsman’s investigation found severe maladministration by the landlord in its handling of the resident’s reports of leaks, damp and mould at the property. The Ombudsman also made a maladministration finding in respect of its handling of the complaint and its record keeping. The Ombudsman ordered the landlord to pay compensation of £600 to the resident. It also ordered Haringey to take a number of actions to deal with the repairs and to review how it responds to the recommendations of its Tenants Panel, which had reviewed the complaint at the resident’s request.