Miss Y complained about the way her landlord, Flintshire County Council, had responded to reports of damp and mould in her home and whether it had taken appropriate action to provide alternative accommodation.
The investigation found that the Council failed to identify that Miss Y had made numerous repair requests regarding the same issue. Repair requests were treated in isolation. Officers visited Miss Y’s home on numerous occasions to address new issues, whilst previous repair requests remained outstanding. As such there were many missed opportunities to identify damp and mould and carry out work to address this.
The Council did not act in a timely manner once the extent of the works needed to Miss Y’s home were known. Miss Y and her children were left living in unacceptable conditions for 5 months after the Council became aware of damp in her home.
The Ombudsman was concerned that the failings identified in this case may be systemic. The failings identified in this case, particularly in relation to identifying and responding to repeated repair requests, are ones from which other organisations can learn.
The Ombudsman made a number of recommendations, which the Council accepted.
Within 1 month
a) Acknowledge and apologise to Miss Y for the failings identified in this report.
b) In addition to the offer of £500 already made by the Council, to offer Miss Y a further financial redress payment of £1,258. This comprises £1,008 for losses of furniture and possessions and £250 for the distress caused to her by the failings identified in this report, making total redress of £1,758.
c) Ensure officers from the Housing and Communities department are reminded of the requirement to fully and accurately complete paperwork.
d) Contact Miss Y to obtain details of any outstanding work to her current home and provide her with a schedule of works detailing when these will be completed.
Within 3 months
e) Develop a process to ensure that repeated repair requests are identified, recorded and escalated for further investigation ensuring a holistic approach is taken to repair requests.
f) Develop guidance on the circumstances in which Tenant Liaison Officers should be allocated, ensuring it also undergoes an Equality Impact Assessment prior to implementation.
g) Develop a more specific decant policy that sets out the actions the Council will take, and the responsibilities of both the Council and the Contract Holder.
h) Review policies and procedures for conducting and accurately recording pre-letting inspections.