Resident held at gunpoint and domestic abuse victim left ‘terrified’ among Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) cases highlighted by Ombudsman
21 November 2024
Resident held at gunpoint and domestic abuse victim left ‘terrified’ among Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) cases highlighted by Ombudsman
The Housing Ombudsman has released its latest ‘learning from severe maladministration’ report, focusing on Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB).
ASB is the second highest driver of traffic to the Ombudsman, and it can be a complex and sensitive topic to handle. While some of the events in the report are challenging to read, the Ombudsman is not shying away from the reality of these experiences to ensure lessons are not lost.
With the important role that social housing has to play in giving safe and secure housing to millions, the learning in these reports should help landlords provide effective services that protect this aspiration.
The decisions are grouped around 5 key themes that the Ombudsman is seeing consistent failings in its casework: action plans, risk assessments, working with other agencies, hate crime, and communication/complaint handling. The report raises a wider debate about the effectiveness of multiagency working, resources (given the sector’s financial pressure), and approach in complex cases.
In one case, a domestic abuse victim was left without support and unable to leave her home following landlord inaction. It also involved the resident’s ex-partner being told key information about the case whilst she was in refuge. In another case, a landlord failed to communicate effectively with a resident despite her reporting that a neighbour pointed a firearm at her.
Landlords highlighted in this report are:
- Bristol City Council
- Clarion
- L&Q
- Newham Council
- Notting Hill Genesis
- Orbit Group
- Peabody
- Sanctuary
- Southwark Council
- Watford Community Housing
Learning from severe maladministration report on anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour learning resources
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “This report includes some of the most demanding and distressing cases we have seen.
“It demonstrates how social landlords’ role goes beyond bricks and mortar, handling racism, homophobia, self-harm, suicide and domestic violence.
“The impact of these issues will have been felt by communities as well as the individual residents, and by the landlord staff handling them.
“It shows how vital the social housing sector’s presence can be in the wider community, managing tenancies, estates and neighbourhoods, often working alongside other organisations.
“While some of the events may make this report difficult to read, we cannot shy away from the reality of these experiences without losing the lessons to support landlords to deal with it.
“Although do see some good practice, these cases point to clear and common failings. This can often a failure to respond and act. This can lead to risk assessments not being conducted, actions plans being absent, and limited communication.
“There are practical lessons across these cases for landlords to improve policies and procedures, from ensuring policies are clear and deliverable; managing resident expectations; triaging complaints; improving knowledge transfer; and being more proactive.”