Housing Secretary Michael Gove has written to Clare Miller, Chief Executive of Clarion Housing Group, following the Housing Ombudsman publishing two serious maladministration findings against the Group. In April the Ombudsman found that Clarion had repeatedly failed to respond to a resident’s regular complaints about a leaking roof, damp and mould and cracks to the interior of her property and her requests to escalate the complaints. In May the Ombudsman found that Clarion did not sufficiently acknowledge all the issues raised by a resident in her complaint about water issues, leaks and repairs or the reasons for delays she experienced over 15 months. Clarion also failed to engage with the resident and the Ombudsman and by not acknowledging its failures for some time caused additional distress and frustration for the resident.
The letter says that “no one should have to live in a home with these conditions – and it should not take years to put them right” and criticises Clarion for being unable “to meet fundamental standards for [its] tenants”.