The potentially devastating consequences of leaking roofs are placed under the spotlight in the Housing Ombudsman’s latest report into its severe maladministration casework.
In one case highlighted by the report, a child’s bedroom had water running down the wall for two years. In another, a resident recovering from chemotherapy treatment was unable to use their bedroom because of a leak.
As if that’s not enough, in one of the ombudsman’s cases, a child’s TV caught fire.
These are just some of the examples of how leaking rooms can disrupt daily life. As the examples demonstrate, it’s not just a case of residents being forced to empty buckets when it rains. The disruption affects bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and bathrooms.
Leaking roofs are an emerging issue within its casework, the ombudsman says. While the case pre-date Awaab’s Law, they are said to reflect on some of the early lessons from cases investigated under this legislation. These include inadequate risk assessments and unexplained delays.
The report also looks at the added complexity of home ownership, as well as the interplay with major works.
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “With the new Decent Homes Standard on the horizon, lessons from responsive repairs should be transferred into handling major works. This includes oversight, timeliness, and communication. Otherwise, poor performance in these areas could undermine what should otherwise be positive outcomes for residents of major works.
“These lessons could also be taken forward into the expansion of Awaab’s Law. Issues present in our early investigations include inadequate risk assessments, unexplained delays, unevidenced reports of no access and no consideration of temporary moves. Reported changes to the condition of the home or the resident’s circumstances are sometimes missed by landlords, when an emergency action could be required.
“Under an extended Awaab’s Law, landlords will be under pressure to take more immediate and effective action rather than waiting for planned works.”
The landlords mentioned in this report are East Devon Council; London Borough of Haringey; London Borough of Lambeth; London Borough of Wandsworth; L&Q; Riverside; Sanctuary; Southern Housing; and Stonewater.
Image credit: New Africa/Shutterstock
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